Flight of the Dragon
by GlitchCrafter
Summary: What if when Acnologia destroyed Tenrou Island, not everyone was in the circle? What if one dragon slayer was left behind? What if the supposed death of everyone he cared about awoke something inside him? Watch how he changed the world around him, and how his friends reacts to this new Fairy Tail! Powerful Natsu fic, with a few OC's and some familiar faces! First story, no flames!
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone! This is my first story here on Fanfiction, and I'm really looking forward to writing it! I am a student at Uni though, so I am not always going to be able to publish at regular intervals. Sad, I know, but necessary if I'm ever going to get any homework done! Anyways, I hope you guys like my story.**

 **Ps. I know the chapters are a little short, and I apologize. I'm trying to increase the length, and hopefully as I write my writing skills will only get better!**

 **Prologue**

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was white. Or rather, the only thing he saw when he opened his eyes was white.

"What the hell?"

Natsu Dragneel, a dragon slayer and Fairy Tail mage, had no idea what was going on. He looked around the white expanse before him, wondering where in Earthland he was.

 _How did I get here? Where is here? Let's see, the last thing I remember is… is…_

His thoughts were interrupted as he closed his eyes, returning to the memories of just a few minutes earlier. A flash of blue, a screaming sound, and falling. Falling from somewhere. The sight of frightened azure eyes staring back into his own was the final straw, and he felt himself fall deeper into the memory.

* * *

The group at Tenrou Island was celebrating, taking a well-deserved rest. Despite the attack on their island, despite the pain and struggle they had endured, it was over. Hades had been defeated, Grimoire Heart repelled, and the heroes were taking a few moments to themselves.

However, little did they know, the peace they had fought so hard for was about to end. With little warning, a massive black dragon had descended from the heavens, his roar demolishing the trees as he landed. Their battle shook the island, but no matter what the mages did they could barely scratch the dragon's black scales. Acnologia, the black dragon of the apocalypse. His rage shook the very sky for miles, and those on the ships surrounding the isle could only cry out in fear as he took to the skies once more before sending a blast at the sacred tree.

However, what they couldn't see was the circle of mages standing on one of the many cliffs, nor could they see the golden seal that surrounded the island seconds before it disappeared. And last, but not least, they missed the small figures falling towards the water.

As the mages had accepted their fate, standing as one, Natsu had taken a moment to glare at the being that was to end their lives. Unfortunately, those few precious seconds would change his fate. As he stood, the ground under him crumbled, and he fell towards the sea below. When he did, one person dove to save him, but only managed to get dragged over the edge with him. He looked to her as they fell, and pulling her close he tried to shield her as they hit the water. His last thoughts filled his head as he hit the water.

 _Not again. I can't fail her again!_

A golden light filled his eyes and the dragon slayer knew no more.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes as the memory faded. His surrounding remained white, but now another presence seemed to fill the space.

 **"** **You're correct about that one."** A voice said. It was deep… powerful… familiar.

"Igneel, is that you?!" Natsu looked around, trying to find his long lost father.

 **"** **In a sense."**

"What? In what sense?" Natsu said, honestly feeling a little silly yelling at nothing.

As if in answer to his thoughts (and looking back that's exactly what it was), a form took shape in front of him. Natsu's eyes widened as the one he had searched to find for years stood proudly in front of him. His voice dropped to a whisper, a far cry from loud boisterous tone he usually used.

"Dad…" a loud booming laugh could be heard in response as the dragon lowered his head and nuzzled the confused mage.

 **"** **Hello son, I've missed you. You've grown up so much."** Natsu stared for a second before giving in, his relief at finally seeing Igneel overcoming his anger at his disappearance. He hugged the snout of the great dragon, a few tears leaking from his eyes.

"Dad, where am I? What happened? What is this place? Why are you here? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?" His cries grew louder as he asked his questions, emphasised by a few hits against the scales he was pressed up against. Great Mavis, he felt like a little kid again. Igneel smiled sadly, nuzzling his son.

 **"** **Natsu, I must apologize. I can't explain everything right now, nor can I make things better. But I will share with you what I can. First, where we are. This, my son, is your heart. A long time ago, right before I left, I placed some of my being within you, a seal of sorts, to protect you."**

"Protect me? Why would I need protecting? I'm strong! Plus, I've got all my nakama behind me too. There's nothing we can't beat!" Natsu said, his fist in the air (conveniently forgetting about the encounter with Acnologia).

 **"** **I was protecting you from yourself."**

"Myself? I don't get it." Igneel's laugh filled the air again.

 **"** **I didn't think you would, you brat."** He ignored the sound of indignation that came from the boy in front of him. **"Now listen Natsu. One of the things that I could never tell you when I was training you is the consequences of Dragon Slaying Magic. If a human uses this magic, slowly yet surely they will take the form of a dragon themselves. When we shared this power with you a seed was planted within your soul, the Dragon Seed. Me and the other dragons that taught our magic to you children knew this, and when we left we placed a part of us within you to stop this seed from growing. However, in your case, this seed is not the only seed within you."**

At this Igneel pointed behind Natsu, and seeing the gesture Natsu turned to see two floating seed. One was red, covered in scales, and surrounded by flickering crimson flame. The other was a sickening blood red colour, with an black flame surrounding it.

 **"** **These are the seeds in your soul. The Dragon Seed and the Demon Seed. As to how the second was placed and how it was sealed, I cannot say at this moment. If it had not been for Acnologia's interference this would not have been a problem for some time. However, the feelings of sorrow and rage you felt, as well as the burning desire to protect the one that fell with you, broke the seal containing the Demon Seed which in turn destroyed my own seal as well. Therein lies the problem. The two seeds inside you are beginning to fuse. If left as is, you will die."**

Natsu was speechless. After all, it's not every day your dragon dad appears and proclaims your death.

"Wait a second you overgrown lizard! You said as is. Does that mean I can do something about it?" Igneel snorted, but responded.

 **"** **Of course you can. The reason that the process is killing you is that the seeds are trying to fuse equally. Perhaps if you were more powerful, and with a few more years of training, you might have been able to reject the seeds. Sadly, this is not the case. All you need to do is choose one seed, one future, and you will survive. Whichever one you choose, dragon or demon, you must simply feed the seed with your inner flame and help it overcome and consume the other one. They will still fuse, but the one you choose will simply take traits from the consumed seed. I warn you though, no matter which you choose you will be changed, though the changes may be small. You will notice them more clearly later, though I can already see that with the deaths of those killed by Acnologia you have already changed more than you know. So, the choice is yours, son. Are you a dragon, or a demon?"**

Natsu looked at his father, indecision clear in his eyes. This was the biggest choice he had ever been presented. And while he wanted to say he knew what he was doing, he was truly more confused than he had ever been in his life.

He looked up to his Igneel, planning to voice his doubts, his fears, but when he looked into those massive eyes he knew what he needed to do.

"I am Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel, King of the Fire Dragons! I will avenge my guild mates, no matter the cost. I am your son, and so I guess that makes me a dragon!" he yelled his answer, pouring his magic outwards into the draconic seed in front of him. The seed swelled before absorbing the now smaller demon seed.

 **"** **Natsu… I am sorry that it came to this. I was hoping that this joining wouldn't happen until you had enough power to destroy the seeds, but Acnologia's intervention ruined that hope. Take care of yourself my son, I sense another magic keeping you asleep, though it is quickly fading. I love you son, and I did not want to leave you as I did."** A tear fell from the majestic beast's eye as he nuzzled his son once more before roughly pushing him over. **"And stop that crying, you look like a hatchling when you do that."**

"You're the one that's crying, you stupid lizard!" Natsu yelled back, wiping his own tears away as he did. Igneel looked down at his boy in pride before opening his mouth one last time. The words that left his mouth were the last words he had ever spoken to him before he had left the young boy all those years ago, an old verse from the dragon tongue.

 **"** **Fear not the open skies, nor raging seas of old.**

 **Fear not the caverns deep, nor peaks of mountains cold.**

 **Fear naught, we roar, neither defeat nor desire,**

 **For we are dragons, noble and pure…"**

"And all will fear our righteous fire. I'll miss you dad, but don't you worry. I'll find you for real this time, don't you worry!" Natsu finished, his fist raised into the air as he got up and smiled at the mighty beast.

 **"** **Of that I have no doubt, brat."**

••••••••••••••••••••••

Far away, a book titled E.N.D. burst into flames, leaving nothing behind but a small pile of dust and one very confused etherious.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey** **everyone! Its Glitch again. So this here is the second chapter for my story. Again, its a little short, but hopefully this makes the story a little more interesting for all the new readers! I'm currently writing the second chapter, and I'm already at 4,000 words, so hopefully my later chapters are a lot longer too.**

 **I forgot to do this last chapter, but I do not own Fairy Tail nor am I claiming to. Anyways, lets get on with the story!**

Chapter 1

The calm sea stretched out for miles, nothing but open water as far as the eye could see. At least it had been mere moments ago. Aboard a large sailing vessel a small group of mages stared in awe as their sacred island, a place they had thought destroyed, rose from the sea like it had always been there. Droy (now possessing quite a large girth about his stomach) could only stare before looking over to his long-time friend.

"Jet! Levy might be on the island! She's okay!" Jet laughed in response before racing to get the rowboat ready. As he did the others that were with them, namely Warren, Max, Bisca, and Alzack, began to cheer. Within a few minutes they were on the shore, searching for any signs of their lost companions. Max was the first to find a clue.

"OWWW!" His scream was heard across the shoreline as he stepped on the pointed end of a rather familiar sword. "Hey wait. Guys! Come here! I think I found Erza!" Buried in the sand was none other than the armour clad redhead. "Help me dig her out!"

Not ten minutes later they had found and gathered each of the Tenrou team. They brought them to the shoreline and transported them to the ship where some food and drink awaited them, ending with Makarov. The group (except Jet and Droy who were crying over Levy, to the irritation of Gajeel) looked up as Max helped the older man up onto the deck of the vessel.

"Ahhhhhhh, thank you my boy. Now, would anyone here like to explain what is going on here? I may be old, but I'm usually capable picking up on things quite qui – HOLY CRAP! DROY! WHY ARE YOU SO FA – I mean… uh… you've grown some my boy." The whole group facepalmed as the Wizard Saint yelled.

"While the master isn't being very kind, he has a point." A sob from Droy. "Max! What happened?" Erza demanded, glaring at the noticeably older looking man.

"Well Erza, that's quite the tale. I guess we'll explain on our way back to Magnolia. It's a pretty long story. I guess it begins with –" A shout interrupted him.

"Wait a minute!?" It was Gray this time. Max could only sigh as the boxer clad teen yelled, "Why are we leaving without Flame-brain?!" The rescued members looked around, noticing the relative peace and quiet that surrounded the ship. Mira and Elfman looked shocked as well.

"Max, what about Lisanna? She isn't here either. And Gray, your clothes."

"Ah crap! I left them on the beach!"

"Juvia does not mind..."

"Come to think of it we left Happy behind as well" Lily said.

A cacophony of yelling filled the air as the Tenrou team began questioning their rescuers (or trying to find some pants). Even Laxus was shooting them questioning glances. Gildarts looked about ready to swim back to the island, as the ship had begun to drift away from the shore. Eventually Max couldn't handle it anymore.

"SHUT UP!" Silence. "Finally. Alright, we have a lot of stuff to tell you. But, most of it can wait till we get back to Magnolia. What I WILL tell you now is that almost 5 years ago in this spot Lisanna, Natsu, and Happy appeared in a flash of golden light. No one really knows why, and since no one else showed up we assumed the worst."

"I believe I can answer that one for you." Everyone spun as a new voice filled the air, this one young and chipper. A girl was standing behind them, short with long wavy blonde hair.

"Hi everyone, my name is Mavis Vermillion!"

••••••••••••••••••••••

After a long explanation, most of which was filled with various degrees of surprise from everyone, Mavis left the group one last answer before leaving.

"Oh, before I forget," she turned and looked at Makarov, "The reason that Natsu and the others appeared is because they were falling. They fell into the water and slowly fell out of the spell that protected you all, the Fairy Sphere. Now, you all have a journey to complete, so I will talk to you soon." And with a wink and a smile the First faded away.

"Well, that was something." The group sighed at Gildarts' obvious statement. A few moments later the guildmates were on their way across the ocean, sailing home.

"So Max," Gray said after some time, "Natsu arrived 5 years ago? Has he changed much? How about Magnolia? It has been 7 years I guess since we've been there."

"Yeah! Has he trained at all? He was pretty strong facing me during the trials." Gildarts added.

Max chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not going to ruin the surprise. Trust me, you guys came back at the perfect time." The group pestered him some more (ranging from begging to threats) before finally giving up.

"Oh just put a sock in it! Some of us are trying to sleep over here!" Gajeel yelled from his position leaning against the mast.

"It's the middle of the day." Lucy whispered to Levy, "Why is he sleeping?"

"Besides," Gajeel continued after glaring at the blonde (who cursed Dragon Slayer's and their hearing), "some of are looking forward to fighting the fire-head, and don't need anything spoiled. Got that Blondie?"

Levy smiled at Lucy before walking up to Gajeel and rapping him on the forehead. "That wasn't nice Gajeel. You shouldn't be so rude." Her face was covered in a frown, her eyes serious as she talked to the Iron Dragon Slayer. In response, to the rest of groups amusement, looked away and mumbled something about how she couldn't scold him.

Meanwhile, near the wheel, Makarov was talking to Jet and Gildarts.

"Master, I have a request." Makarov looked over to Gildarts, who was unusually stoic.

"Yes?"

"We need to let Laxus back into the guild."

"I agree." Gildarts shook his head.

"No, you don't understand. I heard from the others what he did, he put his life on the line to help them defeat Hades, he deserves to be let back in!"

"I said I agree Gildarts."

"Master! Why won't you –" Gildarts paused and looked down at the older man. "Wait, what?" Makarov shook his head while Jet smothered a chuckle at the look of confusion on the Ace of Fairy Tail's face.

"I too have heard what he did, and I know that he has learnt his lesson. However," Here he looked over to Jet, "I am not the Guild Master anymore, isn't that right Jet?" Jet looked over with a smile and a shrug.

"Sorry Gramps, but you're spot on there. Macao was master for a couple years, until the fifth and current Guild Master took over. But I'm sure once you get there they would step down. After all, you are the Third Master." Gildarts looked up, a smile on his face from observing the group down below who were now bickering back and forth (something about which Dragon Slayer could train Wendy better, Laxus or Gajeel).

"Oh really, and who is that?" Jet shook his head.

"Nope! Like Max said, it's all part of the surprise." A look of disappointment crossed the faces of the gentlemen in front of him before they smiled again.

"Well," Gildarts said, "Is there anything you _can_ tell us?" Jet thought for a second before answering.

"All I'll say is that Magnolia has changed a little, and I think you'll like it. Now come on, you two better break up that fight before they break the boat."

••••••••••••••••••••••

The trip home took them a few days, and by the end of it Jet, Droy, Max, and Alzack were dead tired. Despite everyone's acceptance of the fact that they weren't going to spoil the surprise, some things leaked through. Erza's reaction to the fact that Alzack and Bisca had not only married, but had a child as well, was enough to keep them all awake for a full night! One would think that the serious, strong, stoic S-class mage would have more control when it came down to her excitement. Not that Bisca or Cana were of any help, working together to get the redhead drunk that night as to keep the celebrations going. Soon they were on their final night camping, the next day they would arrive at Magnolia, at their home. They were still a good distance away, but as they set up their tents Laxus stopped quite suddenly and began listening intently. Across the camp Gajeel froze up as well and, though she didn't freeze, Wendy began to hear something as well.

"Gramps, can you hear that?"

The whole groups stopped what they were doing and began to strain to hear what the Dragon Slayers could. As they stopped they could just barely make it out, a sound of screaming filled the air. However, unlike what the Slayers originally thought, it wasn't a terrified sound. It was more like… cheering?

"Oh," Max spoke up, "That's just the festival." Makarov looked towards the sand mage, confused.

"What festival?"

"It was Natsu's idea, inspired by Laxus. For the last 3 years we've had a tournament to scale how strong we are and how we rank compared to everyone else. The top 4 are selected to go to the S-class trials held in Era each year." The group looked over to Laxus, who despite his cool exterior was obviously uncomfortable with the reminder of his mutinous actions that day. A chuckle from Gildarts filled the awkward silence.

"That does sound like something he'd come up with." The group laughed as well, and Laxus sent a small (and if you ever ask he'd deny it entirely) smile towards the older man.

"Yeah, it does. You see, the festival lasts about a week, with a tournament style bracket deciding who faces who. The only ones that don't participate are the S-class mages, though they usually have a fight after the tournament is over as a sort of spectacle. We all lost a few days ago, which is why we're the ones picking you up. I think the finals are tomorrow though, so that will be good for you guys to see."

The group started pestering Max again, asking about the tournament, but he remained steadfast in the decision that they would all have to wait till the next day to get any true details. The night continued in such a fashion, with stories of quests that the rescue team had been on throughout the last seven years filling the air as they sat around the fire.

Suddenly, a shout filled the air. Normally, this would be met with varying degrees of surprise, accompanied with magic being shot in the direction that the noise came from, but this time the voice that shouted was so similar that they couldn't help but hesitate.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! WHY?! Damn it, why did I have to face HER of all people? I couldn't do anything! I thought I had her too!" The group moved closer to the noise, all except the rescue team who had heard such rants many times. A smile and chuckle were at their lips as they thought about what must have happened. As the Tenrou Team approached a clearing they stood in shock at what they saw. A figure cloaked in fire, punching a tree as he yelled. Beside him flew a blue cat, a dutiful "Aye sir!" filling the air as the Exceed flew around him. Lucy stepped forwards, a cry about to leave her lips when the figure turned slightly.

The boy standing before them, for now it was apparent that a boy he was, was not who they thought it was, who she thought it was. Despite the flames, and the serious expression on his face, even a scarf around his neck (though it was orange) his hair was a dark purple colour. It was flat instead of spiky. It wasn't Natsu's.

Romeo stood there, the fires around him swirling as he spun to cast a spell at the boulder to his left. Gray's eyes widened as he saw the stance the boy took, and the next words to leave the boy's mouth left him speechless.

" **Fire Make: Burning Arrows of the Sun** ," the boy cried, a large bow of fire appearing in his hands as three arrows shot out of it into the sky before crashing down onto the boulder. A large dust cloud shot into the air, but as it cleared the boulder was still there, albeit in two pieces.

"Damn, I thought that was strong enough to turn it to dust." He was bent over now, the show of power clearly taking a toll on him. The blue cat flew around the panting boy before stopping by his face.

"Nope! You aren't _that_ strong Romeo!"

"YOU STUPID CAT! GET BACK HERE! WHAT DO YOU KNOW, ALL YOU THINK ABOUT IS FISH!"

"Aye sir!" the cat laughed as he rose into the air, turning so he could make a quick getaway. What he saw as he did was enough to make him pause in his path completely. Standing there, not 10 feet away was the person he thought he'd never see again.

"Carla?"

"Happy?"

"Carla!" Tears came to the blue cat's eyes as he rushed forward, his wings disappearing as he touched the ground. He sped the last few meters with a speed the mages before him didn't know he possessed and within seconds he was hugging Carla.

The rest of the mages looked up as a chocked sob filled the air. Romeo was openly staring at them now, tears freely flowing.

"I kn-kn-knew it. I knew you guys weren't dead!" He too then ran forwards to the group, laughing and crying as he hugged the nearest person to him (which was Gajeel who quickly pushed the boy into hugging the next closest person instead).

After they had calmed the two down they walked back to the camp, Happy now hugging Lucy and telling her all about how he was much better at catching fish he was now. When they arrived they were greeted with smiles and laughs, and even before they had sat down the teasing began.

"So Romeo, you lost already? I thought you said you were going all the way this year." Romeo huffed at Jet before smirking.

"I got farther then you. And besides, I made it through to the 3rd place match! It's not my fault that I had to face _her_ ," the group laughed, "in the match before. I've never been able to beat her. I couldn't even touch her. She's a monster." He said with a shudder. Erza looked at the boy closer, and with a more in depth inspection she could see the myriad of bruises that covered the boy's side.

"Romeo, who exactly is this _her_ you've been talking about?" she asked, curious. The way he was speaking of this person reminded her greatly of how Natsu and Gray used to speak about her when they were younger. However, it wasn't the young boy who answered her question, but Alzack.

"You wouldn't know her Erza, she joined about three years ago. Her name is Elizabeth Fulmen, though she usually goes by Liz. She's about 16, and an apprentice to one of the S-class mages. Oh yeah, she's also pretty powerful. In fact, if I had to gauge her against you guys I'd say she was around Erza's level."

A shocked silence filled the air. Erza was strong, and everyone knew it. To place this girl in Erza's league at 16 was unbelievable!

"Hah, I like the sound of that!" Laxus was grinning. That was about the same level he had been at around that age. "So if she beat the pipsqueak does that mean we get to see her fight tomorrow then?" Ignoring the resentful shout coming from said pipsqueak Jet responded quickly.

"Yup! She and the other powerhouse in the guild should be going at it. They're the two apprentices of our S-class mages, so it makes sense that they would be going to the finals. Hopefully we make it in time, they are pretty competitive during their fights, but they are best friends out of the arena, just like their masters."

Lucy chose then to speak up.

"So who are their masters?" Jet smiled and Droy looked over with a laugh, moving his view off of the two he had been watching jealously (Gajeel and Levy were sitting together, Levy leaning slightly into the Dragon slayer to get warmer as the night wore on).

"No can do Lucy, we won't fall for questions like that! You just got to wait till tomorrow!" Happy looked up at the pouting celestial spirit mage before moving from his spot next to Carla and Lily to sit on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Lucy, you won't be in the dark for too much longer!"

"Thanks Happy. Oh, and Happy?"

"Yeah Lucy?"

"Where's Natsu? Aren't you his partner?" Happy smiled and shook his head.

"Usually I am, but he had to go on a quest that I wasn't allowed to go on. It had to do with swimming through some lava to get some special metals for the Heart Kreuz Armour Company. But he should be back tomorrow as well, so we can see him after the tournament, okay?" Lucy smiled down at the Exceed in her lap.

"Yeah, okay." A slight snore filled the air, and the group turned in sync as a whispered voice came from the same direction.

Over by the fire Levy had fallen asleep, curled into Gajeel, and he had whispered something to her sleeping form. It had been too quiet for most of them to hear, but based on the looks on Wendy and Laxus' faces (which were red and softly smiling respectively) they could guess. Makarov stood and cleared his throat.

"I think we should all take a page out of Levy's book," Gray snickered at the unintentional pun centered around the bookworm, only to be hit by Erza in response, "and get to sleep. Tomorrow we return to Magnolia, see what has become of our guild, and reunite with those that matter to us. Tomorrow, we go home!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello again guys! So this is the last chapter I have completed, so it may be a little time before I update again, but thanks again for reading my story. Big shout out to ChaosofTime for being the first reviewer! Also, to answer a question in the comments, this will be a Nali story. Sorry to those that like Nalu. Not that I hate Nalu, in fact I think they're super cute, but I feel Nali was a better fit for my tale (plus I'm totally a romantic sap, so harem bugs me). As always, feel free to read and review, and I hope you like the story!**

Chapter 2

The next morning Lily awoke to the sound of grunts and the swish of blades swinging through the air. Intrigued, he left his spot in the tent to investigate. Grabbing his own sword on the way out he couldn't help but grin as he walked towards the clearing they had seen Romeo in the other day. As he went he had to step over various mages, some of them passed out in rather strange positions (like Cana, who was sleeping curled around a barrel of beer that Lily didn't know they had). Eventually he made it out of the campsite and ran faster towards the sound. The smile on his face grew exponentially as he finally broke free of the treeline.

"Happy!? You can fight?" Said Exceed spun around in surprise, and Lily got a good look at the cat. Or rather, sort of cat. What stood in the clearing was definitely Happy, but he had changed. In fact, he almost looked… human. He stood about the same height as Romeo, and was dressed in a light blue jacket with a white shirt underneath. Despite appearing human, he still had cat ears and a tail, as well as the same eyes that he had as an Exceed. He smiled back as Pantherlily took his own humanoid form and chuckled.

"Oh, I do a little, not a lot though." In his hands were two short swords, the Fairy Tail symbol etched into the hilt of each. Pantherlily pulled out his own sword, letting it grow to a decent size before grinning once more and pointing it at Happy.

"Care for a spar?" His feral smile was returned.

"Aye sir, now I'm fired up," the blue cat answered, dropping into a battle stance. There was a pause as both fighters studied their opponents, one remembering the other's prowess and one trying to imagine what new skills the other had gained.

A small twig snapped as a bird flew off into the air, and the two fighters watched as it fell. Some unspoken agreement was reached as it fell, its landing symbolizing the start of the match. All was silent.

There!

Out of the blue Happy bolted forward, his two blades skimming the ground as he did. Within a moment his swords were falling through the air, coming down upon Pantherlily as Happy spun through the air. Lily's eyes widened in surprise, but years of training allowed his reflexes to react before his mind. His own sword was raised in response, and a loud clang could be heard as the blades clashed. Happy quickly fell to the ground before bolting forward again, slipping under Lily's guard and lunging upwards, his swords now in a backhanded grip. It could have been the end of the match, if not for Lily's quick thinking. As the swords moved upwards he did too, jumping high in the air and letting loose his wings.

"An aerial battle, huh? I've never done one of those before, except that one time someone stole my fish and flew away," Happy said, unfurling his own wings. He shot after the larger Exceed, but quickly his lack of skill was thrown back into his face as Lily avoided each stroke masterfully and with little effort. Happy slowed briefly, and in that moment Pantherlily struck. Becoming a blur, he let loose a cry as his sword slammed into Happy's back, slamming him into the ground. He flew to the ground, lightly touching down when a blue blur whizzed by his ear. Turning to follow its trajectory his eyes widened as he saw one of the twin swords Happy used embedded into the tree behind him. Spinning to face the front again, while swinging his blade, he stopped short as his sword came right before Happy's face.

"Huh, looks like I win." A smirk crossed the smaller beings face.

"Oh do you now? Looks like a tie to me."

"A tie?"

"Aye sir." His statement was emphasised by a small poking at Lilly's stomach. The black cat looked down to see Happy's second sword positioned. He stared for a few seconds, then threw back his head in a laugh. Though Happy was much worse off than himself, in fact it looked like he was just barely standing, he had somehow managed bring it to a draw.

"I suppose you're right."

"WOOOOOOW!" the large shout startled the two felines. They turned, and much like the night before the whole group was standing there watching, neither Exceed having noticed their approach during the battle. Carla could only watch, slightly shocked, as the tomcat she had once known fought an impressive battle. Lucy called out to the blue feline as the two fighters transformed back into their normal forms with a small puff of smoke.

"Wow, Happy, I didn't realize you could fight." Happy smiled in response and shrugged a little.

"I caught on pretty fast, especially when Natsu said he would buy me tooooons of fish if I could get good enough." His mouth was slightly watering at the idea of so many fish, and Carla couldn't help but snort.

 _There's the tomcat I know._

Happy looked up as the sun began to rise higher in the sky. Following his gaze Makarov sighed.

"Alright you numbskulls, let's go get the camp packed up and hit the road. We've got a walk ahead of us if we want to see the fights Max was talking about." The group looked at their master before smiling and raising their fists into the air.

"AYE SIR!"

Happy laughed as Lucy picked him up again. The blonde looked down at the cat and he stared right back.

"What'd you need Lucy?" She looked down at him, at how much he'd changed, and yet in some ways he hadn't changed at all.

"Happy, how different is it in Magnolia now? How much changed." Happy shrugged before jumping out of her arms to help pack up the food (and "borrow" a few fishes for himself).

"Not much really. We got a couple new buildings, but that's all I can think of now."

At least the city would be familiar then.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lucy couldn't help but let her jaw drop as they saw the few extra buildings. The trek to the city hadn't been that long, maybe half the day, and the whole while she couldn't stop thinking about the home that awaited her. Usually she could see her house as they came up on the hill overlooking the city every time they came home from a job. She smiled up to the point where they came up over the last ridge, her house finally in view.

Only, it wasn't.

Instead, in the middle of the city (and blocking the view of her house), there was a building. When Happy had said a few new buildings, this hadn't been what she had been expecting.

"Woah! Why's there a stadium in the middle of town?!" Gray cried out.

"That," Max said with pride in his voice, "is the Grand Fairy Arena. Natsu enlisted the help of a few of our friends from other guilds to help build it, and the other arena as well.

If the first arena hadn't been enough, farther out in the bay there stood another. Makarov looked for a few seconds before tears came to his eyes at the sight that he beheld. The stadium itself as suspended in the air by two massive statues. One was the great Tenrou Tree, tall and proud. The second, though, was Makarov himself. In his Titan Form his statue held the great stadium up in the air, with the tree behind him and smaller statues of each of the Tenrou Team surrounding him in a circle around his feet, holding hands. The last position that Natsu had seen them in.

A hand on his shoulder brought Makarov back to reality, and he looked up at a teary eyed Gildarts.

"That kid huh?"

"Yeah… that kid," Makarov said softly, smiling at the tribute to himself and his comrades.

"And that my friends is the one and only Tenrou Stadium. All the memorial statues are not only life size, but each contains just a sliver of magic from each of you." The group looked at Max in shock. "Yep, crazy right? It took Natsu the better part of a year to do it, but slowly he tracked down small bits of your magic that you used on missions and such and gathered enough to fill the statues. In his own words it was so we would never forget what it felt like to be protected by the greatest mages in Fairy Tail history." Even Laxus teared a smidge at this. 5 years of thinking all his friend were dead must have done a lot to their favourite pyro.

"Anyways, we should get going! The battle is scheduled to start in 10 minutes, so we made it just on time!" With that the group took off once more running through the streets. On the way they heard a few comments about the match, but at the speed that they were going they couldn't catch most of the comments made. In no time flat they arrived at the arena, Max leading them to a special viewing area above the normal seating.

"Don't want to spoil the surprise of you guys being alive until after the battle. These girls deserve a little time in the spotlight after all." Alzack said with a wink. "And besides, the match is about to begin, so shush!"

The audience hushed as well as a figure made their way to the center of the arena. Covered in a cloak, Warren's voice blasted across the stadium.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the finals of the Fairy Festival! Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist... Like them this place as eternal mystery... A never ending adventure! So welcome to the arena the Fifth Master of Fairy Tail! I give you… LISANNA STRAUSS!"

The cheering magnified tenfold as the cloaked figure threw their cloak into the air, and stepped out from under it. It was Lisanna all right, but she was different than any of them had ever seen. Her white hair had been grown out, still shorter than Mirajane's but only just. Her usual attire was replaced by a red and black shirt, with a scaly looking design covering it. On her shoulder a Fairy Tail symbol could be seen clearly, and wrapped around it was another symbol, a red dragon. The way she stood and the magic energy coming off her was impressive, powerful enough that even Laxus was slightly surprised.

However, Laxus wasn't the only mage from Tenrou Island looking at Lisanna in a new light. Mira and Elfman could hardly believe their eyes as their little sister, always the weakest of the three, stood before them with a confidence and power that none had ever seen before from the petite girl.

"M-Max? H-h-how did this happen?" Mira's stuttered question could barely be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"Well, after Natsu, Happy, and her got back they left fairly soon afterwards. For a year they were gone, training and working together on their skills. When they got back Lisanna was something else. She had gotten a few more take-over souls, and her magic power was crazy huge. That was just about the time Macao almost lost the guild building because of some debt, but Lisanna and Natsu paid off the entire debt with all the jewel they had earned. After that it was unanimous! She was a little rough at first, but she took to it pretty quickly. Now watch, you're missing the good part!"

Down in the center stage Lisanna had just finished welcoming to the final day of the Fairy Festival.

"Now, for the moment you've all been waiting forward! Today we have a no bars held match between two of the strongest fighters in our family!" The crowd roared once again as she pointed to the two entrances of the arena. "First off, the Rising Star of Fairy Tail, princess of the night sky, and apprentice to our own Shining Star, give it up for Hisui!" From the gate approached a green haired girl, her hair tied into a ponytail. She had a light green dress on, and the light seemed to bend towards her as she walked into the stadium. Her magic was coiled around her, manifesting as a bright golden aura.

"Now, for our second competitor, the Empress of Lightning, the Thundering Threat, the one and only… Liz Fulmen!" As Liz took her first steps into the stadium the Tenrou Team watched intensely.

"So that's the one who beat you up real bad, huh Romeo?" Gray asked, a sly grin on his face.

"Shut up!"

Liz was a lithe girl, her dirty blonde hair flowing free behind her as blue electricity danced within it. Laxus looked down at her with interest, seeing the similar magic flowing through and around her. She was dressed in a black shirt, a red with black highlighted jacket over top. Her pants were also black, lined with red. She was already rocking on the balls of her feet, completely opposite to what the girl opposite her. Lisanna nodded to both before stepping back and leaping (to the shock of the Tenrou Team), up into the stands. Liz leaned forward, her lightning flickering with even greater intensity as Hisui raised a hand towards her opponent. Warrens voice echoed through the stadium once more.

"Then without further ado, let the fight… BEGIN!"

Immediately Hisui cast her first spell.

" **Starlight Barrier!** " A shimmering wall appeared between her and the blonde girl, and not a moment too soon. Faster than the eye could travel Liz had crossed the entire arena and slammed into the barrier with a lightning encased fist. The contact only lasted for a second before she jumped backwards.

" **Starlight Shield!** "

As soon as Liz landed she shot around the other girl, but the new shield seemed to cover her from all directions, forming a bubble of sorts around her.

"Starting strong, huh _princess_?" Liz said with a smirk. The Tenrou team hesitated as they saw that smirk. It, and the way she was standing, was eerily familiar.

Hisui smiled (somewhat scarily) and replied.

"You have no idea." Lucy gasped as the girl reached to her belt, pulling out an odd-looking key. It was a shimmering white colour, and seemed to give off small sparks of black energy. She leaned over to Happy and whispered in his ear.

"Is that a Celestial Key? I've never seen one like that before." Happy shrugged.

"Umm… sort of? I can't remember." He scratched his head. "It was complicated and I was eating fish when she explained it." Lucy sweat dropped.

"It's alright, I was listening," Romeo said, "From what she said the being summoned from that kind of key _used_ to be a celestial spirit, and a very powerful one at that. However, for some reason they got banished and sealed in a small pocket of space, like a prison. The keys, I think she called them Earthbound Keys, were sent to earth to be scattered. She also said that Celestial Spirit Magic couldn't open the gates alone, which is why she mixed it with another similar magic and created Starlight Magic!" Lucy looked down, impressed. A whistle from behind informed her that she wasn't the only one.

Down in the arena Hisui had begun her counter attack. Blasts of light flew from her hands, shooting through her still maintained barrier. However, despite the amount of magic being shot at Liz, not a single blast hit her. Having encased herself with blue lightning, Liz was streaking across the stadium, slamming into the barrier every few seconds with alarming force.

" **Starlight Stream!** " Hisui cried, and a huge beam erupted from her hands, landing her first solid hit on the other girl. The blonde flew through the air, slamming into the wall. She was there for about half a second before rolling away, despite her obvious pain. It was a good thing too, as another **Starlight Stream** came flying into the wall where she just was. Hisui smirked.

"What's the problem Liz?" After another failed attempt to get past her barrier. Liz was now growling in frustration. "I designed this spell just so I could beat you today! In fact, it's time to take things up a notch! Let's go! **Open, Earthbound Gate of the Earthen Son! I summon thee, Dominus Terrae!** " From the gate a golem like creature appeared. It stood 10 feet tall, towering over the other girl. Its body was made of shifting pieces of the earth, ranging from loose sand to clear diamonds to sharp and dangerous obsidian. A voice spoke into the minds of the people present.

' _Hello Hisui. Oh, and hello again Elizabeth. I take it that we are to battle?_ ' The being began to shift before turning completely into a diamond like substance. ' _So be it. I have learned since our last clash._ '

The crowd hushed as the two girls stared each other down, seconds ticking by with not a sound in the entire arena. Slowly, yet surely, a sound broke through the silence. Liz, standing by the crater she had been blasted through was chuckling.

"Oh man guys," she said, holding her sides as the laughing got more intense, "you'd think we were in a war with how seriously you look right now. Honestly, give it a rest. Though if we're taking it up a notch then I guess that I'll consent." She crouched to the ground and her lightning began to gather around her. She raised her head back, inhaling deeply.

"Is she?" Wendy asked in shock?

"What?!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"…" Laxus could only stare as the girl in the stadium gathered her magic.

" **Thunder Dragon's ROAR!** " The blast of thunder shot from the young girls mouth, slamming into the diamond like golem. Dominus was pushed back a few feet, but sustained no real damage.

' _Come now, we both know you can do better than that child._ ' A tick appeared on Liz's forehead.

"I'm not a child you heap of stones! Aaaargh, take this! **Thunder Dragon's Spiraling Spear!** " The girl ran forward, spinning as her electricity flowed to her hand before throwing the spear straight at Dominus. Once again her attack was nullified.

"It's useless Liz, me and Dominus tested hundreds of materials before finding one that's lightning proof! You can't blast your way through this one!"

"Watch me Star-girl."

The next few minutes were a blur of activity. Liz, showing off her Dragon Slaying Magic as she threw attack after attack at the golem like spirit. Each on was either absorbed by Dominus, or reflected off the dome of starlight surrounding Hisui, though the stress of having to keep that barrier up was beginning to show. Meanwhile, the Tenrou team began grilling Max and Romeo for answers.

"A Dragon Slayer?" The entire group seemed to want answers, some being quite forceful (Erza) in how they were asking.

"Yeah, she joined a few years ago, 4 I think, and has been a powerhouse ever since."

"She's strong," Laxus said, looking back down as said girl sent another powerful roar at the barrier, only to have it negated by the golem.

"Aye sir!" Happy spoke up, "She uses Thunder Dragon Slayer Magic! It's just like yours Laxus, only better!" The group looked down at the cat in confusion. It was Cana that voiced what they were all thinking.

"Better than Laxus' magic? Really?" The exceed looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I'm sure Laxus is still stronger than her, but her magic is purer! At least that's what Natsu said. Her mother is Valis, Queen of the Lightning Dragons. So her mom taught her the special kind of lightning dragon magic, which is thunder. That's why it's blue, like me!" The group looked down at the cat again.

"Yeah, but you aren't super powerful."

"Don't be a meanie Lucy!" Happy cried as he went and hid behind Carla.

An explosion sounded off in the arena, drawing the attention back to the fight. Both girls looked tired, though not overly so. Both also bore near identical grins on their faces, a cross between glee and savage excitement.

"Well, I think it's time to take off the kiddie gloves, don't you agree Hisui?"

"No holding back?" the green haired girl replied.

"Sounds like a deal."

With that Liz stood up straight and the crowd gasped as they felt the magic condensing in her body. Hisui also straightened, pulling out a second Earthbound Key.

" **Thunder Drive.** "

" **Starlight Release.** "

Magic began erupting from the stadium. Lightning like marks appeared on Liz's skin, and her lightning started crackling dangerously. On the other side of the stadium Hisui had started glowing with an eerie white/gold light, her hair gaining gold and white streaks throughout it. She raised her second key, pointing it towards Liz.

" **Open, Earthbound Gate of the Never-ending Sky. I summon thee Raziel, Angel of the Heavens!** " Out of the gate stepped a man, clad in golden armour. On his back were two golden wings, and in his hand a spear, emitting the same glow as his master.

When he spoke, his voice oozed with power.

" **Master. How much**?"

"Give her as much as you can Raziel, she's stronger than she looks."

" **As you wish master.** "

Liz smirked and her stance shifted slightly. With a quick glance in her direction, Raziel disappeared. Eyes widening, Liz bolted to the left, sparks spilling out of her feet as she moved. She became a blue blur, dodging invisible strikes.

"What is he?! He's going pretty fast!" She yelled as she ducked under another strike, only to be slammed into by Dominus' fist and sent flying towards the wall of the stadium again. She spun herself, landing on the wall with both feet before sending herself flying back. " **Thunder Dragon's Destruction Fist!** " Dominus was pushed back again, and his surprise was palpable as the lightning cracked through his arm, destroying it completely.

' _What?_ '

"Damn. That was a strong attack," Hisui said, "Got to be careful with her now Dominus! And to answer your question Liz, this is my strongest spirit, Raziel. He's almost as fast as my master, and can keep up with him for an entire 10 minutes! He is angel after all." As she said this Raziel appeared briefly before throwing his spear at Liz.

The strike missed, but it hit the wall behind Liz causing another explosion. She was once again sent flying, flipping over herself to land on her feet on the other side of the stadium.

"Damn it, I can barely get a hit in." Liz stopped for a second before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her other senses were much more reliable than sight in this fight. After a moment she spun and jumped, completely dodging the armoured fist that was going through the space she was just was. "Got you! **Thunder Dragon's ROAR!** " the roar hit the spirit dead on, sending him into the ground. The group watching was shocked, as this particular roar was at least three times the size as her previous one.

Gajeel scoffed. "Yeah, she's strong alright, but is she going to win? That Hisui chick hasn't gotten a single scratch on her!" Happy looked over and smiled.

"Aye sir! Liz is gunna win!"

"Haven't you been watching the match!?"

A cough interrupted them, as well as a hand on Gajeel's shoulder (meanwhile another explosion filled the stadium). Gildarts had come up behind them and pointed at the smoke filled arena.

"Have _you_ Gajeel? Liz is going to win, and it'll be soon." Gajeel huffed and shrugged the old man off his shoulder.

Down in the ring the smoke began to settle. Liz was covered in small scratches and cuts, the largest being just above her eye. A little bit of blood was crawling down the side of her face. That, mixed with the crazed grin (with the sharpened incisors dragon slayers were known for) and the playful growling gave off a rather terrifying image. On the other side of the stadium it wasn't much better. Hisui was still unharmed, but she looked close to passing out from exhaustion. Her **Starlight Shield** was covered in cracks but was still standing. Raziel stood in front of her, a little singed from the lightning that had struck him, but relatively unharmed and unfazed. Dominus, on the other hand, was in pieces with his body strewn across the stadium. Different materials were littering the ground, and though some where shaking none had the energy required to pull themselves back together.

The crowd watched in silence as the two girls once again stared at each other, before Liz smiled and dropped to a knee.

"Well princess, you gave it a good fight."

"You too bug-zapper." Hisui sighed, "It's a shame that it's over now, I had honestly hoped you'd be able to at least injure Raziel. Oh well though, it seems that it's time to finish this."

As she spoke she raised her hand, pooling her starlight into her palm. The final stroke. One more blow to end the fight.

She wasn't wrong.

Laughter filled the air, bright and somewhat cocky. Hisui's eyes widened as Liz stood up once more, before taking an unfamiliar stance.

"You'd think that training under the Shining Star of Fairy Tail would have made you more conscious of this kind of technique. Oh well, I can't complain, you did just give me the match." Liz's dragon like smile sent a shiver down Hisui's spine. "Why don't you take a look around."

The audience gasped as the walls and floors began to glow with a blue light. At each crater where Liz had been thrown a small seal was placed. Or rather, they had been small. As the began to glow they grew in size as well, together forming something much more dangerous.

" **A magic circle?!** " Raziel cried. Hisui looked to him then at her opponent.

"Raziel, quick! Take her out!" Raziel moved at once, but no matter his speed he couldn't stop what had already began.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Thunder Dragon's Final Strike, Ragnarok!** " All at once each of the magic circle glowed, and the massive circle they formed was activated. A massive pillar of pure electrical power shot up into the heavens, destroying the cracked shield that protected the starlight mage and creating sudden and massive storm clouds in the sky. Then, not even a second later, a massive bolt of lightning struck, slamming into Liz's rival with enough force to crack the ground around her and send tremors through the arena. When the light faded, Raziel and the dismembered Dominus Terrae had faded, passing into their prisons as their master lost consciousness. Speaking of their master, Hisui was laid out on the ground, swirls in her eyes with her hair (back to its normal green) sticking up in every direction possible.

Liz limped over from the other side of the stadium, just barely holding herself up. As she did the crowd began cheering, slowly at first but with rising intensity. By the time she had reached the center Hisui had already woken up, and the crowd's noise was almost unbearable (even more so for the dragon slayers present). Lisanna jumped down from her position above the match, a trophy in hand. Her smile was warm, and up in the stands Mira couldn't help but smile too. Her little sister had grown up so much.

"Congratulations Liz," Lisanna was saying, "It was a hard-fought battle between you two. And Hisui, don't be down okay? I'm sure you'll win next year." She winked at the green haired girl. "You two have both done wonderful jobs, and made your masters proud!"

With that she turned to the crowd once more, and raised Liz's hand into the air.

"And after an intense battle the winner of the Fairy Festival is Elizabeth Fulmen!" Warrens voice filled the air once more. "Now if everyone cou- wait… what's that? Oh my…" A pause. "Everyone! I have just received some news! Could you all turn your sights to the main entrance of the stadium!"

Lisanna looked up at the announcer's booth, a confused frown on her face. This wasn't what they had planned. Shrugging she turned to look at the entrance as instructed, figuring Warren wouldn't interrupt the festival for nothing.

What she saw threw any thoughts about the tournament out the window.

Walking through the entrance, strong and proud, was every single missing member of the Fairy Tail guild, all of which had disappeared that fateful day on Tenrou Island. Lisanna could feel the tears in her eyes gather as she ran forward, ignoring the confused looks she got from both the girls behind her.

"Mira! Elfman!" she cried as she ran, laughing and crying the whole way. She was met halfway by her sister, both slamming into each other with a hug. Elfman came up behind them and joined as well, all three happy to see the others again.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I introduce Makarov Dreyar, the Third Master of Fairy Tail and behind him the missing members of our proud guild! WELCOME HOME EVERYONE!" The crowd cheered even louder than before at Warren's words, and the two fighters from the finals stood in shock as they looked at the people who were immortalized in stone at the other stadium. These were the heroes they had grown up with for the past 4 years, the people who they had strove to become like.

Happy stepped up to Gajeel with a stupid smile as he stood next to Levy.

"Hey Gaaajeeel?" Said slayer looked down.

"What do you want cat?"

"You're pretty stupid, cause I was right and you were wrong!" Happy said before immediately flying away, laughing.

"Hey! Get back here you stupid cat!" Levy chuckled and looked around at the cheering audience, turning to Lucy with a smile.

"We're really back Luce!"

"Yeah," Lucy said, "we really are."

The crowd quieted down after a few more minutes of cheering, and the crying Fifth Master went and stood back at the center of the stage.

"Hello eve – ," her voice caught, "everyone. Today we have been blessed to see the return of our family! However, we still have a festival to finish!" She turned back to Liz, who had never seen her smiling so brightly before. "Elizabeth Fulmen, you have won the Fairy Festival, and so beside being chosen along with the other top two competitors to go to the S-class trials this years, you also receive this trophy, proof of your victories here!" The crowd roared their approval once more.

"Attention citizens of Magnolia! We will now have an hour-long break before the final event of the day, the S-class battle! Until then we encourage you to celebrate! I know we will be!" Warren's voice filled the air one last time and the cheering crowds took their excitement to the streets.

Meanwhile, in the stadium, Liz was looking at the trophy in her hands. It shone, showing her smiling (albeit somewhat bloody) reflection. She had finally done it! Last year she had just barely lost to Hisui, and she hadn't been able to beat her in an actual fight since.

Smiling again she began to walk forward, intent on getting a drink from the guild before the final event, but as she took her first step she slammed into something hard. Falling to the ground she stifled a surprised cry and looked up at what she had hit. The grin she saw looking back down at her was scary enough, not to mind the minster of a man behind it.

"So you're a Thunder Dragon Slayer, huh? You've got talent twerp." Liz bristled.

"Oh yeah, you bet I do! And who the hell might you be?" The man laughed (Laughed! Right in her face!) and leaned back nonchalantly.

"The names Laxus Dreyar, Lightning Dragon Slayer, second generation." Her eyes widened at that. Her master had told her all about Laxus, telling her of his strength and power. Not to mention that, despite being second generation, he was one of the best dragon slayers out there!

'O-o-oh, I see," she said rubbing the back of her head. "Uh… I'm sorry?"

The man just laughed again and ruffled her hair.

Beside her Hisui was staring wide eyed at the tall blonde.

"Um… excuse me? Mr. Laxus sir?" Laxus looked at the green haired mage. She was so timid now, where was that crazy smile and savagery that he saw during the match?

"Yeah? What do you want?" The timid girl dropped her eyes a little before seemingly steeling herself.

"I was just wondering, would it be okay if we fought you sometime? We were always told how strong you were, but we could never tell which stories to believe. If we fight you we would be able to see your strength a lot better! That is, if it's alright with you?"

Laxus looked the girl up and down before laughing again, this time much more jovially.

"You know what kid? I think I can do that. But first we'll let you get healed up, alright?"

"O-o-okay!"

The three turned to go back to the guild, stopping by a clinic on the way. It was strange, despite being second generation Laxus couldn't help but feel some sort of protectiveness over the younger blonde. Perhaps it was their magics, as apparently hers was the royal version of his own. He kept pondering over this until they arrived at the guild. When they got there though, they found Lucy and Levy outside talking.

"Hey, girls!" Laxus barked, "Why aren't you inside?"

The girls jumped at the sudden voice, then smiled as they saw the two somewhat beat up girls behind him.

"We were just waiting for these two, Lucy wanted to talk to Hisui about those keys of hers. Plus, another brawl broke out a few minutes ago…" Levy said.

Lucy blushed, a little abashed, but nodded.

"They look really strong, stronger than any of my Zodiac Keys." Hisui gasped.

"Really? You have Zodiac Keys?!"

"Yeah, I've got ten of them!"

"No way, I've always wanted to meet them!"

"SHUT UP!" Liz's voice cut through their fangirling, "If we don't get inside we'll miss the fight!"

"Oh yeah, the fight!"

With that the two girls rushed in, completely forgetting about the others. Looking at each other the three shrugged and smiled (well, Laxus sort of smirked). They slowly made their way into the building, all three reminiscing about the lives they left behind when they went to the island. As they walked through the doors though they were all hit with an outstanding sense of déjà vu. The guild hall? A wreck. The members? Begging for forgiveness. Erza? Not in the forgiving mood. In fact, except for Hisui and Liz who were watching the lacrima screen impatiently for any sign of the fight beginning, every other member was being chewed out by the redheaded knight. Levy grinned and went over to Gajeel, pulling him away from the group of (beaten) guildmates he was sitting by. She pulled him over to the lacrima and sat him down. Lucy couldn't help but giggle, imagining him as some sort of dog. The next to go over was Wendy, Carla, and Happy. Happy was once again trying to win the affections of the white Exceed (with fish of course). After watching a few other groups of people, she went and sat by Gray and Erza, ignoring Juvia's glare as she did.

"So, what is this supposed to be again?" she asked.

"This is a fight between the only two S-class mages in the guild right now. I guess they're the masters of Hisui and Liz." Gray replied.

"I'm glad that Fairy Tail still has some strong mages among their ranks." Erza chimed in.

"Who do you think they are?"

"I have no idea."

"Well," Gajeel chimed in, "They better be strong bastards, considering how powerful their students are.

"Yeah, maybe they'll teach us a thing or two!" Gray said excitedly.

"Finally!" Liz shouted from her spot on the floor, bandaging her wounds as she watched the lacrima screen flicker on. It was quite the interesting sight, as some of the wounds were in rather difficult to reach places.

"WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! This is Max Alors from Fairy Tail! As you have all been waiting for, its time for the last fight of the Fairy Festival, the S-class mage battle. In the past these two have been the only two S-class mages of our guild, but thanks to our happy surprise earlier today I can no longer claim that! However, I can say that you won't want to miss a minute of the action today, as our two big shots battle once again for the position of strongest mage in the guild!"

The screen switched from a view of Max to a view of the Tenrou Stadium, circling the outside before dropping into the middle of it.

"As most of you know, because of the power of our two fighters we cannot safely enjoy a battle between them in our normal arena, so today the fight will be taking place in the Tenrou Stadium! When the fight begins the fighters will be sent to a pocket dimension where they can go full force without worrying about collateral damage! Alright, without further ado, let us welcome our challenger!"

The view swung to the entrance at the south. The Tenrou Team tensed in anticipation, aware that Max was dragging it out just for them (to which Gray muttered a quiet "bastard" under his breath).

"With a past full of mystery and pain, angels and demons, and tower's worth of secrets, this is his third year competing for the top position. Sadly, he has yet to win, claiming he has never beaten his opponent, not once. So, please put your hands together for the one and only Shining Star of Fairy Tail, JELLAL FERNANDES!"

A silence overtook the guild as Erza froze. Lucy turned to look at her friend, and couldn't help but gasp as she saw the tears dripping down her face.

"J-j-j-ellal? Why? WHY? He was taken away! They took him! They said he would never come back! What's going on?!"

Gray tentatively put his arm around her as she collapsed to the ground. Lisanna took one look and stormed over. While she did, Max was still talking about Jellal's feats, but no one was paying any attention, their gazes on the Fifth Master storming across the hall. Erza was still crying, though Lucy didn't know if that was because she was relieved Jellal was safe or worried he still didn't remember her. Either way, Lisanna was not pleased, and was making a beeline for the people who had saved them from the island.

Before this moment, Lucy hadn't really believed that Lisanna had changed. Sure, she looked tougher, and a little older, but she still had the same smile, the same shy countenance. She was still Mira's little sister, adorable and innocent. But now? Her face was filled with rage, she had a swift step and a magical pressure that rivalled Erza's on a bad day. A magic circle appeared around her, and with a crack and a flash of light she changed. As the light faded, Lucy gaped at the new takeover.

She was now dressed in white armour, seemingly made from frost and ice. On her back were two draconic wings made of icicles, a lighter, thinner ice filling the gaps. A crown of ice adorned her head, a frozen sapphire in the middle. Her lips curled into a snarl, her teeth were slightly pointed, and her eyes were slitted. She grabbed Alzack by his shirt and pulled him close.

" _You didn't tell her!?_ " The voice that came from her mouth was icy, cold, and angry.

"W-w-w-e didn't th-think it would be that b-bad. We thought it would be a nice sur-surprise, I swear!" The chill coming off Lisanna was making him shiver.

" _Hmmm. That wasn't kind, but I guess that I don't need to make you do_ _ **that**_ _._ " She smiled viciously. Another flash filled the room and Lisanna stood, back in her scaly shirt. She came over to Erza, kneeling beside the crying redhead.

"Hey Erza. It's okay, he's safe alright? He hasn't been in prison for a long time. I promise." She went to move away, but the knight reached out quickly grasping her hand.

"Does he… does he remember?"

"Yes. Everything."

"I thought… that they would kill him, or at the very least lock him away forever. Lahar was cruelly blunt with what he wanted to happen."

"It's okay Erza. He's here, and he's missed you. Don't worry so much alright? We can talk about this more once the fight is over." Erza nodded, gaining control over herself. She took a deep breath, then wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Okay. I'll hold you to that."

"Alright then, are we okay to watch it now?" Erza nodded.

"Actually, Lisanna? What was that takeover?" Lisanna turned and smiled at her older sister, already back to her normal self.

"That was my Winter Wyvern Soul. It's one of the newer souls I've collected recently, and the fourth most powerful of them! It's also the one I have the most control over, so I don't use my other three stronger ones unless I really need to." The group nodded their heads (pretending to understand in most cases). "Anyways, I think Max is finally done fangirling over Jellal's achievements, so let's get back to watching!"

True to Lisanna's word, Max had just finished speaking all about Jellal's many good works. Even Jellal looked annoyed at that point with the amount of time Max had spent talking.

"And now, the champion! The strongest Fairy Tail mage among us, the life and soul of our guild! Prince of fire, he strikes with a burning passion beyond any seem before. Thunder comes to his aid, and though his power is great he is always there for the ones who need his help. He may not always think things through (like how much the bills for careless explosions are) but he is a true fairy at heart. The strongest of the S-class mages, I give you…" A shape began to walk into the light on the screen.

"It sounds like…" Gray said.

"Master!" Liz shouted excitedly

"No way," an amazed Wendy spoke with awe in her voice.

"That twerp?" Laxus scoffed.

"How?" Erza asked.

Gildarts could only stare with pride in his eyes as everyone muttered around him.

"Is that?" Lucy couldn't bring herself to finish that thought.

"It can't be." Gajeel said, shock in his voice.

Lisanna looked up at the screen, her eyes shining before she confirmed each of their thoughts, speaking as the person on the screen walked completely out of the shadows.

"The Dragon King of Fairy Tail. Natsu Dragneel."


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Glitch here again! So I had some free time this week and got my chapter done really early, plus its the longest chapter yet! I am somewhat iffy about this, cause I'm not sure if it would have done better as two chapters, but I didn't want to have a bunch of short chapters either. Either way, here it is.**

 **Real quick, before I start, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing and answer some questions. First off, ChaosofTime. I'm glad you didn't see Jellal coming as the second master! I was hoping I wasn't being too obvious with the whole star thing. Anyways, to answer your question, I am in fact changing cannon a little bit. I don't want to say too much, as some of it will be revealed in the next two chapters and so forth. There's an** **explanation for the age difference in this chapter though, so I guess you'll have to read to find out ;)**

 **This chapter has some background info, plus some op action XD, so I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Ps. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

Chapter 3

Natsu Dragneel. The Salamander. He had been in Fairy Tail for so long that he had become an integral part of everyone's lives. He was young, strong, and had a desire to prove to everyone he could protect them. He was like a brother to half the guild, and no matter who you were Natsu was a source of constant amusement. He challenged anyone, even those that were far beyond his own strength (Gildarts), just so he could improve. One thing Makarov had always looked forwards to was seeing his child grow into something more. To see him mature and to become stronger than he was.

It seems like he missed out on that chance. Never had he hated Acnologia more than this moment.

Natsu stood in the arena, strong and proud, his usual vest gone. In its place was a black jacket with one sleeve. He walked with a confidence that they were all familiar with, but his grin seemed a little more jaded, less innocent. His eyes were harder, and as the lacrima zoomed in on his face you could see something ancient and primal within.

Besides that though, he looked exactly the same. Like he had barely aged a day.

He walked to the center of the stadium, stooping before Jellal. The two looked at each other, expressions serious, before smiling and grasping each other's hands.

"Natsu. I'm glad that you made it back in time. I wouldn't want you to lose because you were too scared to show up." Jellal said. Natsu laughed and smirked back at the bluenette.

"Don't you worry mister 'Shining Star'. There's only enough room in the sky for one of us today." He was smile was feral, Erza noticed. She could easily see the similarities between Natsu and his pupil now. She shuddered.

 _Natsu has a pupil. I never thought I'd ever hear those words._

"So, nightlight, we should probably get started soon."

"Anytime you feel ready lizard." A tick appeared on Natsu's head.

"It was _Salamander_ you overgrown flashlight. Not lizard," he said, growling just a bit.

Jellal smirked, "Then prove it."

With that Jellal began to glow, his light much brighter than that of Hisui's. His clothes, similar to those he wore as Siegrain only with a Fairy Tail symbol on the back instead of the Wizard Saint symbol, began to blow in some nonexistent wind. The light in the stadium began to bend towards him, and the shadows circled around his feet. His power could be felt from the guild building, an undeniable pressure.

 _Well,_ thought Makarov, _he IS at the level of a wizard saint._

The Tenrou team was shocked at the amount though, especially Erza.

"I knew he was strong, he proved that, but this is insane!" Gray said.

Back on the screen they looked at Natsu, interested to see his reaction, but his grin had never even faltered.

"Is that the best you got Jellal? How about I show you what a true Fairy Tail Mage can do!" as he said this his entire body burst into flames like countless times before.

Only, these weren't the flames that his friends could remember.

His original flames had been a bright orange, warm and alive. They had been there to protect them all at some point, and despite their destructive power they had never felt scared when confronted with them. His flames now were... different. They still flickered off his skin, but instead of the warm orange glow, they were confronted with a harsher hue.

A strange mix of black and crimson flames rolled off the form of their friend. It was impossible to tell where the colours began and ended, instead they flowed together in a seemingly perfect harmony. Within the fires was an occasional flash of lightning, blue in colour, similar to Liz's own Thunder Dragon Magic. Natsu rolled his shoulders and began walking to a control panel, letting waves of magic leak into the air with his flames.

The Tenrou Team was speechless, all except Gildarts, who at seeing the dragon slayer let out a laugh.

"Ha! Even I have to admit, that looks pretty cool!" Happy flew over to the older man.

"Aye sir! Natsu's fire is a lot stronger now!"

"Oh yeah, that I can tell. What's with the colours though? And the lightning?"

Liz heard and walked over, inciting chuckles from people as she passed thanks to the amount of bandages on her.

"Are you Gildarts? Cool! Natsu told me all about you! Well, you wanted to know about his fire, right? So I guess you could say that it's his inheritance, in a way. Like how I was given the Thunder Dragon magic by my mom, Natsu inherited the Crimson Flames from his father, the Fire Dragon King. It's a lot stronger, and is purer than his old flames were."

"Wait, what about the black then?" Makarov said, "It seems more… malevolent then the crimson part of the flames."

"I don't know as much about the black part, Natsu only said that they were demonic in origin, a… um… gift, I think, from his family. Something like that."

His family? That wasn't something anyone had expected to here. Gildarts shook his head, it wasn't important right now.

"Well what of the lightning?"

"I can answer that one. Why don't you go and watch Liz? I'll explain from here." Lisanna said to the girl. A frown had crossed her face when the lightning had been mentioned before, but this time she had looked a little misty eyed too. She smiled and thanked Lisanna before returning to talk to Hisui, who had struck up a conversation with Cana about manners (Cana had decided that Hisui was FAR too high strung).

"Did I say something wrong?" Gildarts asked, rather confused. Lisanna shook her head.

"No its alright. Anyways, you know how Laxus gave Natsu some of his lightning back on Tenrou Island?" A nod from the people listening, so pretty much the entire Tenrou Team, "Well he kept that power, even after we returned home. He practiced with it, called it his **Lightning Flame Dragon Mode** for a while, but eventually it became just as natural to call on that power as it was to call on his flames. It took some time too, for the first bit it would almost knock him out just to use a single attack when he was like that. That's about the time we left on our journey. He helped me collect my 4 new takeovers during that trip. It was about halfway into the journey, just a month before he got Jellal released that we found her." She said, chuckling as she remembered Natsu insistence that it was a new "mode".

Erza looked over sharply.

"Natsu got Jellal released?!"

"Oh yeah, do you want to hear that story too?" Gildarts looked over to the lacrima screen.

"Will we have time? I thought the match was starting soon."

"It'll be alright," a devilish smile crossed her face, "give me one second." She walked up to the announcer's room on the second floor. A loud crash could be heard, along with a cry that sounded suspiciously like Max. A few seconds later the screens all cut out. Then her voice filled the air.

"Citizens of Magnolia, we seem to be having some issues with the lacrimas. As soon as we get them sorted out we will begin the fight." As she said this the magical pressure coming from the Tenrou Stadium cut off abruptly, Natsu and Jellal obviously having heard her words. Since the fight was no longer being broadcasted Liz and Hisui went to the infirmary to replace the bandages they had (tried to) put on. After a slight pause Lisanna came back down the stairs, an innocent smile on her face. Lucy couldn't help but have thought fly across her mind.

 _Scary._

"Okay, all set! I'll tell you about the blue lightning first and then Jellal!"

"Why doesn't Liz like to hear about it?" Makarov questioned. He thought that she would have loved to talk about something that pertained to her magic. Lisanna's sad expression hinted otherwise though.

"Because the day Natsu gained that power, Elizabeth lost her mom."

••••••••••••••••••••••

Six weeks. Six whole weeks. That's how long they had been gone on this job. After seven months of painstaking training to get to where they were, both in a literal and training sense, the two of the, had started taking jobs again, collecting them from freelance guilds that they found, often around the area of Crocus, though this last job they had found in a small inn in the country of Bosco. Happy hadn't chose to come with them this time, staying in the town to learn from a master swordsman for as long as they were on their mission. And yet, despite all this time spent travelling, she had yet to think to ask one simple question.

"Umm, Natsu?"

"Hmm? Yeah Lisanna?"

"Where are we going?"

"…" She sighed.

"You have no idea." Natsu grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Umm, east?" Ugh. Lisanna should be used to this, but even after so long it was still hard to believe that regardless of how strong Natsu was, he still didn't _really_ read the descriptions of the jobs.

"Natsu…"

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! They said the monster was huge, right? So it shouldn't be that hard to find!" Lisanna stared for a second more, but shrugged.

"Fine. But I get to pick the next job! And no more chasing after-"

"Shhh." Lisanna was startled. Natsu had just dropped to the ground, crouching behind a tree.

"It's here."

Lisanna followed Natsu's example, ducking behind the tree as well. All she could hear was a rustling in the wind, the sounds of the forest. But she knew better than to doubt a dragon slayer's senses, so there they sat, listening to the wind. It reminded her of the time that they were hunting wyverns. They had sat for hours, something she didn't think Natsu was capable of, before the wyverns had come out in the open. That had been when they caught her newest takeover soul as well. The Winter Wyvern, by far the strongest thing she had in her arsenal.

She shook her head. She needed to focus. They didn't even know what they were facing, much less how powerful it was. She couldn't get distracted now. As she refocused she became aware of a faint growling in the air, deep and bestial and reverberating through her bones. Whatever they were facing it was close.

The next thing that hit her was the smell. Ozone, like a storm was in the air. With the rumbling growl and the smell, the only thing missing was the rain. Next to her Natsu ignited his hands, the black and crimson flames flickering as his eyes scanned the area. She closed her eyes, calling on the power of the Winter Wyvern. Her icy armour covered her skin, the icy wings forming behind her. She relished the strength that the soul brought before opening her eyes, her senses much sharper than they had been moments before (though not as great as a Dragon Slayer's). All of a sudden, the rumbling that was all surrounding was coming from the north. The smell of ozone wasn't only in the air, it was on the trees and the grass. They were in this creature's territory.

A sound came from the direction the growling was coming from, a snap as something broke, and a rustle as it moved through the trees. Natsu had his eyes closed, his breath was slow as he focused. Scale like markings were appearing on his skin, his fire was becoming hotter and fiercer.

 _Dragon Force._

Lisanna's eyes widened. For Natsu to think that he would need Dragon Force was an indication that this enemy was _strong_. Really strong. She tightened her focus, letting the chill coming off her body fill the air around her. Another crunch came from the direction, louder and clearer. They had only seconds before whatever this creature was attacked. Stealing a glance at Natsu, panic began to grip her. Though he could go into the third phase of Dragon Slaying magic (the second being the **Drive** **Incantation** ) by his own free will now, he still needed time to do it.

 _He isn't going to be fast enough…_

Lisanna took another deep breath, building her own magic. She would have to buy him time. The growling grew even louder. The beast was only a little ways away now, on the other side of the massive tree they were hiding behind.

 _Breathe Lisanna, breathe! You can do this._

She let her magic out in a burst, rushing around the tree and flying into the air with a flap of the icy wings she now had. Icicles flew from her hands to the area she knew the beast was, but none of them connected. She looked in confusion, even with her enhanced sight she could see nothing. A huff of hot air came from above her, and she froze as the smell of ozone surrounded her.

" **A frostling in MY forest? You've made a mistake little mage,** " a female sounding voice said. It was deep and powerful, speaking with centuries of wisdom. " **Sadly, it will be your last."**

Lisanna spun, her magic flaring, but once again she found herself freezing at the sight of the open maw in front of her, filled with giant sharp teeth and brilliant blue lightning. Fear exploded through her as her death became certain.

A blast stole her attention as a blur slammed into the side of the Dragon's (for that is what the massive beast was) face a second before the beam of lightning was released. Unfortunately, a bit of the lightning still caught the takeover mage, and she spun as it did. Black spots filled her vision as she fought the after effects of being electrocuted.

As she struggled to remain conscious she caught glimpses of Natsu fighting the beast, his electric flames leaving burnt scales in its wake as he fought at his strongest. Dragon Force was a scary powerful thing. The darkness began to creep in, and as she passed out she saw the pink haired mage burst into flames once more, seemingly disappearing and becoming one with his flames. As she finally lost consciousness she heard a roar, rage filling the bestial cry.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"When I woke up Natsu explained what happened. The dragon we had faced was none other than Valis, Queen of the Lightning Dragons and Liz's mother. Apparently, when all the dragons left on that fateful day, Liz ran into some dark wizards. They took one look at her and decided to use her as a magic battery. In doing so, they sealed her in a lacrima, freezing time around her. One of them was quite skilled in Time Magic. Unfortunately for them, Valis hadn't quite left the area yet and she noticed the assault on her child. At that point, it didn't matter how strong the time mage was. But, despite her power, she couldn't break the seal on her daughter. If she tried, she risked killing the little girl she raised. So, after Natsu and Valis calmed down, Natsu helped her remove the seal without killing Liz. As a reward, Valis gifted her power to Natsu, binding her Thunder Magic more closely to his flames then Laxus' lightning was. There's more to the story, but Natsu can tell you that later. After that, Valis left. When Liz woke up, she was scared, but Natsu was there for her. It was actually really sweet, and Liz immediately latched onto him, especially since he had the same magic as her running through his flames. She claimed he was her master and that she would learn everything she could to see Valis again. In a way, Natsu's like her older brother, looking out for her and helping her grow strong. They're family now, and it's been that way ever since!"

The group looked over to the room Hisui and Liz had disappeared to. The guild members were no strangers to pain, most of the core members had been witness to horrors in their youth, but it still brought them paint to think of another child going through that kind of trauma. Gajeel and Wendy especially knew the feeling, but at least she had someone there for her after Valis left. That made all the difference. Both of them thought of first people to find them when they had just lost their way, one with fondness and the other in disgust.

A moment passed as the group of mages took the information in, long enough for Liz (who somehow managed to fit even more bandages on her) and Hisui to walk back into the room.

"Hey guys!" Liz said, "You done talking yet?" Lisanna shook her head.

"I just wanted to tell them about Jellal first."

"Awwww, but we really really want to watch the match! Isn't that right Hisui?" Said girl humped as the dragon slayer poked her in the side, and she looked back and forth between her best friend and her Guild Master.

"Y-y-yeah, I do. H-how about I tell the s-t-tory really fast then? Warren taught me a little bit of m-mental magic, so I could somewhat share my experience with you all."

Lisanna walked over and put her hand on the green haired girl's shoulder.

"That would be great Hisui! Everyone gather in a circle." They quickly complied, though none as fast as Liz, who wanted this done as soon as possible. When they gathered they felt a magic wash over them, and then their surrounding faded to black.

••••••••••••••••••••••

It had been a rather boring day for Hisui. Her father had insisted that she stayed for the procession, even though she'd much rather be ANYWHERE else. She wasn't even that old yet! All the other twelve year olds were at a tea party today, but SHE had to be sitting in the throne room!

Stupid throne, stupid people.

She sighed as she straightened. The least she could do was be respectful. Despite her hate for her throne (it was nowhere near as soft or fluffy as her father's) she knew she was still the princess. Slowly she brought her attention to the person giving the report in front of her.

…

No, she couldn't do it. It was just so BORING. She was 12, she didn't care about crop rotations and productivity of the local mines! She could do that when she was older, and boring like her dad.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a large bang, and another guard running into the room.

"Your Majesty!" The King glared at the knight and, regardless of his lack of height, the rushed young adult became increasingly nervous.

"What is it Sir Arcadios? Surely you haven't been out of the academy so long that you've forgotten your court manners?"

"I apologise my King, and your highness," he said while taking a knee in front of them. Hisui had heard of the knight, he was in his late twenties now she thought. Rumor was he was a fantastic knight, and that he might even be assigned to her royal guard very soon, a tremendous honour. She turned her attention back to the knight as her father allowed him to deliver his message. This could be exactly what she needed to alleviate her boredom!

"Sir, I tried to stop him, I really did, but he wouldn't take no for an answer! He brushed past our best knights, not even bothering to listen to a single warning." The King frowned.

"Who is it Arcadios?"

"Your Majesty, it-" A bang interrupted the occupants of the room for a second time that day as the massive doors were… kicked... in. Hisui began to feel a trickle of doubt as she saw the massive doors fly faster then she had ever seen. Usually it took at least 4 fully grown men to push the doors open, and even then it was a process. For something to be able to slam them open with so much force… whatever it was their guards stood no chance. She closed her eyes as she heard the creature enter the room, hoping her father would know what to do. She winced as she heard the _thing_ breathe in, preparing to roar.

"Yo!" Hisui's eyes shot open and she whipped her head up. That… was not a monster.

Standing in the middle of the throne room, seemingly not noticing the absolute amount of _filth_ he was covered in (and where he was getting said filth), was a pink haired man. He was grinning like a madman and looking at the King, in his hand some sort of blade wrapped in cloth. Behind him, head in her hands, was a white-haired girl, around his own age. Sitting on her head was a blue cat, munching on a fish and talking about his brand new swords.

 _Wait? A talking cat?!_

A noise interrupted her confused thoughts (there had been a lot of interruptions that day). However, it wasn't a normal noise, nor was it in a normal direction. It sounded almost like… growling… and it was coming from right above her. Looking up she jumped off her seat in surprise as she saw a girl about her age perched on the back of the throne like some sort of bird. The blonde girl smiled, showing off her sharp incisors, a trait, Hisui noticed, that she shared with the pink haired man.

"What are you d-d-doing on my chair!?" Hisui asked, cursing her own stuttering. It was a habit she was going to have to break out of one day.

"I'm sitting! Why?" the girl shot back, her eyes wide and innocent as if it was totally normal to just appear on top of people's chairs, and royalty no less!

"That's… that's My throne!"

"So? You weren't using that part."

"It's not proper!"

"I am too proper!"

"N-no you aren't!"

"Hisui! Calm yourself child." Her father cut in, chastising her. Meanwhile, the pink haired man sighed and motioned for the blonde to come to him.

"Liz, stop bugging the girl. Besides, I'm hungry. Let's get the jewels and get out of here." The girl nodded and disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing by the man.

"Okay Master!" The pink haired man sighed.

"Natsu, Liz, its Natsu. Master makes me feel old." He said while making a face. At that, Hisui couldn't help herself and a small giggle slipped out of her mouth.

"Well," the King said, getting things back on track, "You've come back early Dragneel. We weren't expecting you for at least another month."

"What can I say old-timer, it was just some drakes. They just don't guard sacred ores like they used to." All this was said with a laugh, like taking out a drake was some easy task. As far as Hisui knew (and she thought she knew quite a lot) drakes were smaller, less powerful cousins of dragons, and everyone knew that dragons were super strong. "Anyways, here's the sword. They had to use me for a furnace too, cause only my fire was hot enough to melt the metal enough to make anything out of it. So… do you have the jewel here? We haven't eaten in _ages_ and I'm starving!"

"Natsu, you ate just an hour ago." The white-haired girl reprimanded.

"I apologize Dragneel, but we don't have the money here at the moment. If you would wait until we finish our business, then I can arrange for your payment."

"Sure thing pops, we'll be over here," he said, grabbing Liz by her collar and dragging her off (she had been reaching towards an _extremely_ expensive piece of art).

After that the meeting went back to its boring routine, but Hisui couldn't shake her excitement. While they weren't very proper, the people that had all but invaded the throne room were _MAGES_! She had some magic herself, but her father said that she was meant for greater things than being a guild mage. In some ways, she was jealous of them. She looked over at the Liz girl and sighed. Just once she would love to travel, to go and see the world. It couldn't be because of her age, the blonde looked to be just as young, and she was doing just fine! Hisui hadn't even been out of the palace grounds, much less the city. At least, not without a plethora of guards following her.

Or would it be gaggle of guards? That sounded better.

Soon, the meeting was coming to an end.

"And finally we are having a few issues at the magic prison in Era…"

"Issues?" the King inquired, his tone tight. That prison housed some of the most dangerous threats Fiore had ever faced. Issues were not something he wanted to hear about.

"Nothing serious your Majesty. A few close calls that almost erupted into riots, but thanks to the magic dampeners it would have been dealt with quite easily. Oh, and one of the prisoners has begun refusing to eat. We've tried to force him, with limited success. Honestly my King, I am not sure how much longer he will last in there. He has nightmares every night, and the staff is cruel to him during the day. Now I know you dislike the death penalty as a form of judgement, but if this trend continues it may be considered a mercy to have it dealt out."

"Hmmm." The King sat for a minute, weighing the options, before sighing. But, as he opened his mouth to speak, another voice overruled his own.

"Wait, who exactly are we talking about?" Natsu was still leaning against the wall, the picture of nonchalance, but Hisui could tell that he was tense. That, and he seemed to be almost glowing, like there was fire _under_ his skin that wanted out. The advisor giving the report turned to him in a huff.

"It isn't your business mage! Learn your place!"

"Jellal Fernandes." The King's voice echoed across the hall. Natsu's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Can you bring him here?" The question was asked with a sense of authority, like the mage was ordering Hisui's father to do what he had said. She turned to her dad, expecting some anger to leak through his usual mask of emotion, but she was surprised to see him simply sigh.

"No, I cannot. It is too far and-"

"Oh, fine then. I'll do it." And with that he disappeared in a burst of flames. Hisui stared at the spot where he had just been, his black and crimson flames still lingering in the space he had stood.

"Oh Natsu." The white-haired girl (Hisui thought her name was Lisanna) sighed.

"Aye sir, he's not thinking again! Not that he ever does!" The cat said, a stupid grin on its face as it laughed at its own joke. After another second the red/black flames filled the room again, and as they cleared Hisui could see two forms on the floor before her. One was holding up the other, standing there for a second before tossing them onto the ground in front of them. Jellal, as she knew him to be, stumbled and fell. He looked weak, malnourished, and close to death itself. Natsu stalked forward, anger and power flowing off his fiery form.

" _Get up._ " Hisui looked in shock as Natsu spoke, his anger causing his words to be hissed out of his mouth. " _I said, GET UP!_ "

Jellal looked over at Natsu, half smiling and half grimacing.

"Why do you care so much Natsu? I already said it, I don't need to explain myself to you." The King awkwardly watched as the dragon slayer picked up the other man by the front of his shirt, his onyx eyes staring straight into the other man's soul.

"I don't think you understand Jellal. You don't get to feel sorry. Not yet. You haven't done enough yet to get that." Jellal seemed to be speechless before anger filled his eyes as well. He roughly pushed away from Natsu, surprising him with how much strength he still had.

"I don't get to? I DON'T GET TO?! YOU KNOW NOTHING NATSU! I KNOW I'VE DONE EVIL, I KNOW I HURT _HER_ , BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T GRIEVE TOO!" the mage yelled. Natsu was undeterred though.

"Grieving? Is that what you call starving yourself? Is that what you call taking beating after beating? IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL MAKING IT UP TO HER? SHE DIED JELLAL! SHE DIED PROTECTING WHAT SHE LOVED! WHY DO YOU SEEM TO THINK YOU CAN SPIT ON HER DEATH LIKE THAT AND DIE TOO!"

"I LOVED HER!" A silence filled the room as Jellal breathed heavily. His eyes were wet, his face soaked in his own tears. He fell to his knees as his sobs overtook him. "I loved her Natsu, even after I did so much to hurt her, I still loved her. I was going to repent, make it up to her. I was going to try to make things _better_. But now, I can't. I won't ever be able to make things right, give her what she deserves." His ramblings broke off as he sobbed harder.

 _I won't ever get to tell her how I feel. I miss her._

The words went unspoken, but even Hisui knew what the ex-criminal was thinking. She may have not known a lot about love, but it was obvious that someone important to this man had died, and he didn't get to say goodbye. Just like her and her mom.

Natsu walked up to the crying mage.

"You don't get to die too. We miss her, all of us, but she wouldn't have wanted you to punish yourself like this Jellal." Jellal looked up at Natsu, who had been speaking softly. "You don't die for your friends, baka. You live for them, for what they stood for." Jellal stared for a second before letting a bitter chuckle escape his tear stained form.

"Since when did you get so wise Natsu?"

"A lot has changed Jellal. I'm not the boy I used to be." Natsu stood. "So what do you say? Will you live for her? For what she lived and died to protect?" Jellal stood shakily before nodding, wiping some of the tears away from his eyes.

"If you say so Natsu." Natsu smiled and turned to the King.

"Alright, so I'm taking him!" Hisui, and every other person in the throne room, felt their jaws hit the floor.

"WHAAAAT?"

The next few minutes were a blur of ranting and raving as Natsu insisted that he took the _wanted fugitive_ back to Fairy Tail with him. Finally, an overwhelming pressure filled the room.

"I don't think you understand," the dragon slayer said, "but I _will_ be taking him with me. Consider what my reward should have been as bail or whatever, but it's happening. Got it?" The last bit was spoken in a snarl (directed at the loudest advisor in the room). At that he turned to leave, being smacked by Lisanna as he passed her.

"You're going to get us arrested again!" Natsu smiled as he scooped her up in his arms, simply carrying her away as she complained.

"It wasn't that bad. We were only in there cause you wouldn't let me break out!"

"That would have been worse!"

Hisui watched as Jellal smiled at the two retreating mages. He looked one last time around the room, his gaze stopping at none other than Hisui. Slowly, as to not concern the guards, he approached and bowed to her. Not knowing what to do, Hisui stiffened and froze.

She would never forget the words that left his mouth next.

"You have a gift princess, your light shines brightly, much brighter than mine ever did. Stars belong amidst the sky, where they can shine with joy. Don't lock yours in a tower forever."

And with that he moved to leave, following the voices calling his name. He still didn't think he deserved this, deserved to live while Erza died, but maybe he was wrong. He looked once more at the Fairy Tail mages, now calling for him to hurry.

 _Maybe I don't deserve this, but I am sure as hell going to make the best of it. This is for you Erza._

He never knew that his thoughts had been spoken out loud for a little princess to hear.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Another bright light filled the group's vision. They all looked around, disoriented, as their minds were transported back into their own bodies. Hisui cleared her voice.

"That n-night I took what Jellal said to heart, and ran away to follow them. They found me within seconds, but Natsu has never been one to follow rules." The mages laughed at their friend's tendencies. "Jellal agreed to be my master, and I've been here ever since! My dad visits from time to time, but we tend to avoid the capital as _technically_ I was kidnapped. I was only twelve at the time after all."

"So wait! You're the _princess_ of FIORE?!" Gray yelled, jumping away from her. The rest of the group's eyes widened as well as it set in. They looked at each other for a second before bursting into cheers.

"Yeah! We have the best guild ever!"

Lisanna laughed at her guild's antics, but her roaming gaze stopped as she passed by Erza. The knight was truly living up to her namesake, as her face was as scarlet as her hair. Lisanna smiled and went to sit by her, Mira coming along as well.

"So… you feeling alright?" The redhead looked away quickly, unfortunately that brought her face to face with the other, and more devious, Strauss sibling.

"Errrrza. Did you hear something you liked in that memory? I sure did…" Her smile was sly, and Erza whipped around once again, preferring to face the younger Strauss instead. Lisanna's smile was warm, and she leaned in to whisper in Erza's ear.

"Don't worry. Personally, I'm just as excited to see how he reacts to you!" With that she stood and went to the stairs. "Alright everyone, I'm going to go and _fix_ the lacrimas, okay?"

"Aye sir," the guild responded, reminded of her 'methods' used to turn them off. After a couple minutes the guildmates began talking again, some of them going off to the bar to get a drink from the barmaid, Kinana.

Erza sat off to the side, lost in her own thoughts. The memory had pulled a lot of her emotions out of place, destroying any semblance of control she had shown throughout this whole 7-year issue. A weight settling into the seat next to her slowly brought her out of her thoughts. Hisui was looking down into her lap, her face slightly red.

"I… I'm sorry Erza. I didn't mean to do that to you. It's been so long that I hadn't realized that it would affect you like that. I-" her eyes teared up, "I just wanted to m-make a good first impression… When I heard you lived I was so happy. I always looked up to you as a kid, the stories of Titania are what inspired me to learn magic when I lived in the palace. Then there you were, alive and well, and I couldn't help but feel like this was a blessing. Jellal has missed you so much. I know he'll be happy to see you again."

"Are you sure? It's been 7 years your Highness, his feelings could have changed. Maybe… maybe he moved on." Hisui shook her head quickly, her child like actions making Erza smile despite herself.

"No, that's impossible. He may have stopped starving himself, but he can't move on. Some people call it unhealthy, but he refused to even go on a date! Ultear asked him once, and it was really funny to watch as he made a thousand excuses before telling her the truth. Oh, and none of that Highness nonsense. I'm not even a S-class mage, so you outrank me here."

"Ultear? The Grimoire Heart mage?"

"It's alright, her, Meredy, and a guy named Erik formed an independent guild and hunt down dark guilds. Natsu and Jellal help from time to time when it's too much for the three of them."

"Oh. That's good." The two sat for a few more seconds before Hisui got up, planning on going to sit by Liz to watch the match (it was fun to argue about who's master was better). As she did though, a hand grabbed her wrist. She turned back to the re-quip mage.

"Hisui, thank you. And if it means anything, you're a lot like him. Not many people can calm me down when I'm up upset." Hisui nodded. She was looking forward to getting to know the scarlet haired woman.

A sound cut through the room. The lacrima screen popped up again, and the voice of Lisanna went across the town.

"Attention citizens of Magnolia, thank you for your patience. We have fixed the issue, and are now just waiting to get an image so we know to open the Tenrou Stadium's space pocket."

A few seconds later an image came into focus on the screen.

"Uh… how do we fix it?"

"I don't know, how did you break it?"

Natsu had the lacrima in his hands and was tapping it, shaking the screen as he did.

"Hey! I didn't do anything! It just shut off!"

"You set it on FIRE." Jellal deadpanned

"You suggested it! And I used my coldest flames!"

"I was being _sarcastic_ Natsu."

"You know what, I've had just about enough of your sarcasm, Mr. 'Shining Star'!"

"What's that supposed to mean lizard king?"

"Dragon, its _DRAGON_ King." Natsu said, tossing the lacrima aside. The mages stared as the lacrima flew from his hand and took its spot floating above them.

Lisanna sighed as she walked down the stairs.

"I swear, those two are the best of friends until they get bored."

Back at the arena a timer had started counting down in the air. The two S-class mages looked up and grinned.

"I fixed it! I guess we're going to be able to show Magnolia that a dragon isn't to be messed with star-boy."

"How about I show you just how strong I've gotten then? Or are you scared candlestick?"

"I'm all fired up now!"

They glared as the counter dropped below one minute. Slowly, their magic began to build. Natsu's flames gathered around his form, the colours once again mixing together seamlessly. The bolts of thunder magic circled him, like his own personal storm. Jellal called the light and shadows of the arena to his side, his smile dropping as he grew serious. Again a magical pressure filled the air, and the mages were astounded at the amount of power being given off by the two beings in the stadium. Finally, after an intense stare off, the timer reached fell to the final 20 seconds and a flash of light filled the screen. The pocket dimension had been opened, and with it the fight had between Fairy Tail's strongest was about to begin.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Natsu hadn't been having a great week. First off, he had been called in by the Heart Kreuz Company to get them some special metals. It had taken forever, and the people had decided they wanted to thank him graciously when he arrived with the ores. Eventually he had to bolt as they tried to convince him to try on ANOTHER set of armour, help them craft something with his dragon fire. While this wasn't out of the ordinary, it also made him miss all of Liz's matches. Despite the aggravating way she insisted on calling him master (he didn't think that he was old enough to be called that yet), he couldn't help but be proud of his pupil. The amount she had grown was insane, and she was only getting stronger. He wouldn't be surprised if in a short while she was able to enter Dragon Force on her own. She had mastered the **Drive** **Incantation** so quickly too, it only took her a year to be able to use it flawlessly.

 _I wonder if this is how Gildarts felt watching me grow?_

Natsu looked up from his thoughts and shook his head. He couldn't afford to think that way right now, he had a fight to get through first. He would never live it down if Jellal beat him! He flexed his hands as and let his magic flow through him. He felt the thunder crackle around him, the flames of his birthright burning brightly. It had been a while since he had last sparred with Jellal…

He took a deep breath and let the magic of his friends, the magic that flowed through the stadium itself, overwhelm him. He frowned.

 _It feels… different today. More energetic than usual. Oh well, first I'll beat the crap out of Jellal, then I'll check the lacrimas._

He grinned and looked over at the Heavenly Body Mage, then up at the timer. 10 more seconds…

It was time to let his fire **_burn_**.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The timer hit zero, and all the people watched as the blue haired mage instantly disappeared, a small dust cloud kicked up where he had been. Before anyone had even been able to blink he was already in front of Natsu, his fist flying through the air. Calmly, in another tremendous show of speed, Natsu moved his head slightly to the left, avoiding the blow before flipping backwards to avoid the next.

"Come on Jellal, you can do better than that!"

The next three minutes no one could do anything but stare as the S-class mages sped across the stadium, exchanging blows at a breathtaking speed. Their strikes were precise, their strength astounding as the blows that didn't connect shattered rocks 10 feet behind them.

"They haven't even used magic yet…" Lucy mumbled.

Eventually, there was a lull in the fighting, both mages taking a step back to observe each other, neither really being injured.

"I think we better take a page from our apprentices' books Natsu."

"Oh yeah? And what might that page say Jellal" Jellal smirked and began to glow in a harsh golden light.

"I believe as Hisui said it, it's time to take it up a notch. **Meteor!** " The glow moved and encompassed his entire body, rocks lifting slightly around him as his power began to leak from his form.

"Alright then, I guess it's time I started using some magic too then! How about this then? **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " A massive column of flames rushed outwards from his mouth, 5 times larger than Liz's largest roar had been during her fight. Right after the fire left his mouth Natsu was jumping through the inferno, a crash echoed about the stadium as his fist collided with Jellal's face. Jellal, not to be deterred, spun with the hit.

" **Heavens blade!** " he yelled, and a sword made of his magic appeared in his hand. Coming in a full circle after Natsu's hit he slashed the sword across the dragon slayers chest, forming a second blade to keep the assault going. After five consecutive hits he jumped upwards, flipping as he did. " **Release of the Heavens!** " His blades cracked before exploding downwards onto Natsu, who had covered his arms in flames and held them up to block the steady stream of heavenly shards. Finally, on his way down Jellal cast two more spells. " **Heaven's Arrows! Heavenly Guard: Solaris Maxima!** " His landing was smooth, his first spell nearly hitting the dragon slayer in the back as Natsu spun, narrowly avoiding the spears of light while his fire burned through the shards. As they finished raining down on him he turned to face his opponent once more, only to find himself surrounded by a wall of heavenly body magic on each side of him.

"I thought you might appreciate this Natsu!" Jellal was standing not ten feet away, but that wasn't what Natsu's attention was on. No, he was focused on the orb of darkness forming above Jellal's crossed hands.

" **Altairis!** "

Back at the guild hall Erza stood in shock, bolting up and knocking her chair down.

"What is he doing?! That spell could kill Natsu!" Flashes of the last time she saw that spell being cast crossed though her mind and she shuddered at the unpleasant memories.

"What's up Erza? You're blocking the view!" a few of her guildmates yelled. Liz just grinned over at the older woman and reassured her.

"They haven't even broken a sweat yet Erza! Don't worry 'bout it!"

Back in the stadium the dark spell had finished charging. Jellal raised his hands and threw the orb, spiralling at the still trapped Dragon Slayer. Natsu watched as it approached before raising a single hand.

The orb sped up as it traveled, slamming through the barrier around Natsu like paper and slamming into the outstretched hand that awaited it. For a second nothing happened, then all at once **Altairis** burst into flames and exploded, spreading the darkness across the stadium. As it did Jellal disappeared, reappearing behind Natsu.

" **True Heavenly Body Magic: Osore's Wrath!"** A huge blast of light slammed into Natsu from behind, sending him flying into a wall. As he hit the entire wall of the stadium shattered blasting apart as the light continued to cascade from Jellal's outstretched hands. The floor beneath the blast seemed to split apart, torn apart by the pure force the light was giving off. Jellal pushed forward with his hand once more, forming an **Altairis** in the middle of his **Osore's Wrath**. The ball grew to a massive size before shooting off into the middle of the area Natsu had just been slammed into.

"Damn," Natsu said as he saw the spell approaching. His arms were already shaking at holding off the massive beam so it wouldn't do too much damage. There was no way he could hold off **Altairis** at the same time. "Damn it Jellal! **Flame Drive!** "

Red fire-like markings appeared on Natsu's body as he felt his strength increase. He had wanted to cream Jellal without going past Stage 1, but it looked like that was still impossible. Jellal was an incredible mage.

" **Thunder Flame Dragon's ROAR!** " The blast of light pinning him down was overwhelmed in an instant, the black and crimson fire burning away Jellal's magic like it was nothing more than an inconvenience. It raced the length of the arena, covering Jellal as the mage threw up a hasty shield, which was already cracking as the Thunder Magic in the fire began slamming into it. Not deterred, Jellal formed a shield underneath before preparing his next move.

Once again Erza was standing, but she wasn't the only one this time. Almost the entire Tenrou Team was in shock as they watched the torrent of electric fire flow from the mouth of their friend, slightly larger than the roar he had given back at the island when facing Hades.

"Holy crap," Gajeel said, "the Salamander has grown some fangs." The rest of them nodded as they watched Jellal throw a fourth shield up to protect himself, the roar continuing. Gildarts turned to Makarov.

"We missed a lot."

"Of that, I am sure. It would seem both have become amazing magic users. I do not know how either of us would face against them now." Liz appeared in between them, eliciting exclamations from the older men.

"Oh! Natsu said that Jellal could fight Gildarts once! He said that you'd probably win, but that it would be a fun battle!" Gildarts sighed. Looks like he was going to have to work hard to keep his position as the guild's ace.

"Child, could you tell us more about the **Drive Incantation**? I admit that I do not know much about it." As he spoke Makarov looked back towards the lacrima screen noticing that Natsu's roar had finished. Jellal remained mostly unharmed, though he was surrounded by molten ground. Erected around him was a magical array, providing power to the five **Heavenly Barriers** he had been able to create. Natsu bore down on him, slamming into the shields with incredible force, each punch shattering the ground around him and cracking the self-powered shields. Jellal had taken a stance in the center of his array and was once again collecting light and darkness to his right and left sides respectively. Liz glanced over then looked back.

"I guess I can real quick! **Drive Incantation** is a way for Dragon Slayers to become more in tune with their element, increasing power, speed, and just about everything else. Its Stage 2 dragon slaying magic."

"Stage 2?" Gildarts questioned.

"Yeah, as far as I know there are 7 stages of dragon magic, but humans can only do the first 4."

The sound of something shattering brought their eyes back to the screen, where Natsu had broken through two of the five barriers.

"You're too late Natsu!"

"Shut it Jellal, Just you wait, once I get in there you won't know what hit you!" Natsu yelled as he used a **Thunder Flame Dragon's Devastating Strike** to slam through the third barrier. Jellal just laughed, a tad bit manically, as he opened his arms, letting the light and darkness flow into him.

"This is it Natsu! **Come forth, forces of the Abyss! Take refuge here in my soul and lend use of your power! Heavenly Light, Infinite Dark, form the anomaly within my heart!** " The forces surged into Jellal's body, and as they watched he changed. One the right side of his body he began to glow with an overwhelmingly bright light. His hair bleached to a lighter shade of blue, and the tattoo on his eye began to glow golden, seemingly draining light from his eye and leaving it completely black. Even his clothes began to change. The white stayed the same, but the black outlines changed to the golden colour, looking far more regal than before. However, his left side changed as well. Where his right was noble, his left was cunning. His hair became a dark blue, almost black, and his left eye took on the golden glow that dominated his right side. His clothes became black, and the usual black outlines became silver instead.

" **Light of the Darkest Abyss: Shin'en!** "

He remained that way for a second, almost as if the power was settling, before he released it. Shattering the shields he had left, the blast of power tore through everything in its path. Eye's widening Natsu disappeared in a flash of flames, teleporting far above the stadium, high in the air. As he appeared he hesitated for a second. Something felt off.

Or what had been a stadium. Natsu grimaced as he saw the damage, very glad that they were in a pocket dimension and that the stadium would be intact when they returned. The blast had removed the walls from existence, leaving only the arena floor left, and endless ocean beyond that. As Natsu fell he began to gather his magic energy, focusing it in his hand. He narrowed his vision onto Jellal's still form before spinning in the air.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Thundering Flame Blade!** " A spiralling vortex of flames and thunder descending on the arena, not leaving an inch undamaged as he poured his magic into it.

" ** _Not good enough Natsu."_** The voice was distorted, but more importantly it was right behind him. Natsu spun, only for a fist to collide with his gut as he did. The rest of the fall to the arena passed by quickly, ending with Natsu slamming into the ground and creating a shockwave in what was left of the arena floor.

"Ugh. What the hell is that?" Natsu groaned as he looked up. Jellal was floating a few hundred feet up in the air, mismatched wings sprouting from his back. One white and angelic, the other black and demonic. Natsu stretched before focusing once more.

"I have no idea what this is you bastard, but I can't let you beat me now!" Jellal stared down at the Dragon Slayer emotionlessly. He stretched out his right hand, and a small magic circle formed.

" ** _Sema._** "

He raised his left hand.

" ** _Altairis_** "

"Screw you nightlight." Natsu muttered.

Every single person was watching now on their feet, their jaws on the floor as they watched Jellal's attack form. Even Hisui, who had trained under her master for years now, had never seen this technique before. The sky filled with magic circles, filled with magic. Then they fell.

Meteors the size of buildings dropped from the sky, burning as they entered the atmosphere. Meanwhile thousands of black, spiralling orbs shot towards the dragon slayer, as if hunting him. Natsu's eyes widened before he disappeared in another flash of flames, reappearing on one of the falling meteors before using it as a stepping stone to launch himself to the next one, all the while avoiding the constant barrage of **Altairis** orbs that followed him relentlessly. From meteor to meteor he went, sometimes leaping and often teleporting, he made his way up towards his opponent. Jellal watched with a bored eye.

"Jellal! You're a bastard, you know that?" Natsu yelled as he went, eliciting no response except an increased persistence from the orbs seeking him. He yelped as one brushed by him, barely touching his skin. Where it had contacted, his skin was now smoking, his Dragon Magic healing the wound.

 _This is getting ridiculous_. Natsu thought to himself. He looked up as he teleported to the next meteor, slamming one of the orbs away with a flame infused fist. And _I'm getting tired of it._

Explosions began sounding from beneath him as the various **Sema's** began impacting the ground.

 _Almost there!_

Natsu built his magic around him as he landed on the last meteor.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Thundering Crimson Dragon King's Apocalyptic Fist!"** He shot up at the flying form of his friend, hoping that his technique wouldn't hurt too much. Something was wrong (he and Jellal had never had such a silent fight, usually all you could hear was their bickering), so he figured that he needed to end the fight quickly, before it got out of hand.

It never even connected. Back at the guild the observers jumped to their feet. This time even Lisanna stood, her face finally showing worry as Jellal prepared his next attack to meet the coming Dragon Slayer.

Both hands extended, Jellal poured out an unprecedented amount of magic as a seal came into existence.

"That's even bigger than ours was…" Gajeel said, not even bothering to hide his fear. Juvia looked away, and Levy hid behind the Iron Dragon Slayer. Various other members of the guild had similar reactions, a couple even screaming. Lucy sat, eyes wide.

" ** _Abyss Break._** " Jellal's voice never wavered as his magic circle filled the sky. Natsu's eyes widened as he realized what he was up against.

 _Whatever this stupid thing mode is, it_ isn't _Jellal._

Natsu glared as he looked up, searching the eyes of his friend. Lisanna gasped as she noticed his eyes narrow and slit like a dragon's, calling for Max to focus the lacrima (which somehow had not been damaged throughout all this) on his eyes as well. When he did she fell to her knees. Inside Jellal's eyes were two magic circles, each bone white. Clear signs of possession.

"I thought we killed him…" Nobody knew how to respond to that, caught between their shock at what was going on in the match and at Lisanna admitting to killing (or trying to kill) someone.

They all flinched as the beam of darkness was unleashed, dwarfing the light of Natsu's flames and decimating what seemed to be the entire ocean in their pocket dimension. All thoughts concerning Lisanna's strange words were lost as they watched the attack.

"He needs to end this. Now." Lisanna said as she watched the beam encompass the screen. She reached out into the air and pulled towards herself, pulling the lacrima into her hand so it wouldn't be destroyed. After a few moments she threw it forward, back into the pocket dimension. "Get that working again Max! Right away!"

Gildarts came up behind the girl, putting a comforting arm around her.

"Lisanna… I don't know what you're hoping to find. That was _Abyss Break_ , people don't just walk away from that…" She turned up to face the older man, who recoiled at the look of absolute _hate_ in her glare.

"I'm going to find Natsu. He's in there. And after that we'll track down that bastard and kill him for certain. He hurt Natsu too much last time, he doesn't deserve any more chances."

"Who?"

"Death." Gildarts opened his mouth for a second, before closing it in confusion.

"Here it comes!" Max called.

The screen popped back into existence. The area had been decimated. The ocean was empty, having been evaporated long before, and the landscape of the ocean floor was jagged. There were craters all around, scars and canyons being carved into the land. But what surprised them most was the figure standing in the middle of it, surrounded by a small circle of perfectly fine ground, glaring into the heavens where Jellal had yet to move, the only indication he was at all surprised at Natsu's survival was a slight tilt of his head.

The lacrima focused on Natsu again, and Gildarts stared at his young friend. Gone was any semblance of the playful idiot he used to be. This was someone, no, some _thing_ to be feared. His eyes were slitted like a dragon's. His skin was scaly, like **Dragon Force** , but there was something off. Behind him, his flames were formed into massive draconic wings. All along his skin black lines and flame symbols had formed. Even that, though he had never seen Natsu do that before, was not what was bugging him. With a start, Gildarts realized what was concerning him.

"His body…" Makarov whispered, also catching on.

Gildarts stared at the arm of the young Dragon Slayer. Whereas his fire usually flowed out of his skin, at this moment it was impossible to tell where the fire ended and his skin began. Parts of his body were phasing in and out, briefly _becoming_ crimson and black fire before fading back into existence. It was like Natsu's magic wanted him to become one with the fires he wielded, but Natsu refused. Despite him being tucked away in a pocket dimension, the entire city shook with the magic power he was releasing.

It was terrifying, and Gildarts couldn't help but feel as if he knew that power.

Natsu raised his head and looked up at Jellal as the possessed mage prepared another **Abyss Break** before grinning savagely and waiting. Not a second later he was rewarded with a beam of darkness coming down upon him once again.

All at once the magical pressure increased tenfold, Magnolia literally quaking as he released his spell, his voice distorted as he spoke.

" **Dragon King's ROAR.** " The blast that followed cut straight through the **Abyss Break**. It was more of a beam of pure magic energy than fire, but one could see the black, blue, and crimson that were mixing within the beam. It slammed into Jellal with outstanding force, surrounding him in energy for only half a second before stopping. Natsu appeared behind his smoking body and slammed him into the ground far below. He reappeared beside him putting his foot down on his bare chest, his shirt and jacket having been destroyed by his last attack.

" **Release him.** " Natsu commanded. His voice was still slightly distorted

" ** _Make me,_** " Jellal's twisted voice came out as a gasp.

" **He has been possessed too much in his life. I** ** _will_** **find you. And this time, you won't walk away.** "

" ** _I was not the only one injured during that fight, candidate._** " Natsu glared at the fiend in his friends body.

" **If you won't release him, I'll make you.** "

" ** _You hold no authority over me boy._** "

" **I don't NEED authority.** ** _Cleanse._** " As if commanded, a sickly black shadow separated itself from Jellal's body and dispersed. Only after it disappeared did Natsu contain his magic, reverting to his normal self again. He sighed before leaning to check on Jellal. After inspecting him (he was also back in his normal form) he turned to the lacrima.

"Hey, I think I won. Anyways, if we could get out of here that'd be great. That shadow won't be a problem anymore; I think he snuck in when Jellal summoned that infinite darkness or whatever. Plus, I'm starving, so tell Kinana to get some something grilling!" His mouth started watering at the thought of it. "On second thought, get _everything_ grilling. Oh, and Jellal might want some too."

Lisanna smiled fondly and shut off the lacrima. Max's voice could be heard announcing Natsu as the winner. Apparently, he had shut off the stream to the rest of the town once Jellal had been possessed, so they had no idea what happened except for "magical errors". Gildarts looked at the guild's members, noticing that the majority of them looked shocked. All except the dragon slayers that is. They were off talking in a corner. Deciding to investigate, Gildarts walked over.

"Hey Liz! Care to share what all that was about?" Liz smiled and laughed.

"Ha, I couldn't tell you all of it even if I knew it!" Gajeel butted in, frowning.

"Hey, sparky, you were telling us something!" Gildarts leaned in.

"Oh really, mind if I listen in?"

"Not at Gildarts!" Liz said, "I was just explaining the stages of dragon magic to these guys! Anyways, all of us know the first stage, that's just basic dragon slaying magic. The second stage is **Drive Incantation** , that's when you allow more of your element to infuse with your body. We all know stage three, and that's **Dragon Force**. Most Dragon Slayers never go on to the next phase, as Dragon Force is incredibly potent. The last stage that humans can use is stage four. It doesn't really have a name, but Master said that it's when you start to lose yourself in your element, something that you need to do to go to phase five. As you can see, it's really, really powerful."

"Stage five? I thought you said that humans can only go to four."

"Yup!" Laxus sighed at the already too happy girl.

"Alright fine, I'm going to get a drink." Gildarts left with him, muttering about kids and their secrets.

Lisanna walked down the stairs, looking at everyone with a smile.

"Everything's alright! They just got out of the pocket dimension, and are just getting Jellal checked out. Then they're going to check on the lacrima and head back here! Now, I didn't tell them yet about you guys, but Natsu might figure it out because of your scents. Either way, as soon as they return it'll be a full swing party, so let's get this place cleaned up, okay?"

"AYE SIR!" the guild yelled back, frantically getting everything ready for the party that was about to be thrown. Lisanna smiled and went to sit beside Makarov.

"That was something, wasn't it my dear?" Lisanna chuckled.

"I just hope Jellal doesn't get all mopey again, he does that every once and a while. No idea how he'll react to Erza either. Hopefully he'll get embarrassed." Makarov shook his head while Lisanna tiredly giggled.

"Weren't you mad at Alzack and Max for doing just that?" Lisanna shrugged a little bit waving Kinana over and asking for a glass of water.

"Well… yeah. But Erza's been through a lot and was crying and everything, so I got a little mad." She shrugged again and laughed. "I suppose I have Natsu to thank for passing on that trait."

Makarov laughed alongside her before looking at her again. She really had grown, though something was bugging him.

"Lisanna? You still look troubled." She smiled at him.

"I am a little. The person that possessed Jellal is dangerous. If he makes a move on the guild… it'll take a lot to take him down. We thought we did last time, and look where that got us. Anyways I should take this time to get some work done, cause once Natsu gets here no force in Heaven or Hell is going to stop these idiots from partying."

"Amen to that!" Gildarts said as he walked up, ordering some drinks for all three of them. "Let's just enjoy the peace while it lasts! And don't worry so much Lisanna, you aren't the only ones here anymore, alright?" A chorus of cheers echoed around the room, Mira coming and giving her sister another hug and smiling before going off to help Kinana cook for the party. Lisanna smiled at everyone before turning back to Gildarts.

"Thanks Gildarts. I guess taking a little break wouldn't hurt." She smiled. Gildarts had always been there for her. Some things never change.

And so, for the next half hour the three relaxed by the bar while everyone cleaned the entire guild hall. Sometimes, a few minutes of relaxation are all one needs.

* * *

 **And there it is! Please review if you liked it, and let me know how you felt about the length. Should I have split it up or is this alright? Coming up next chapter: Natsu and Jellal react to seeing their long lost friends, the team adjusts to life back in the world now that 7 years have passed, and someone from Natsu's mysterious journeys makes an** **appearance! All this and more coming soon!**

 **Edit: I just fixed some grammar errors, they were bugging me.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, school has been crazy as of late, and I've got 4 midterms coming up right away. Anyways, I'm a little iffy in general about this chapter, but I think that it works. It's a little shorter than the last one too. Oh and thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favourited and followed! I never expected so many people to read my little story, and I'm actually pretty happy you guys like it! Thanks a ton guys! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

 **EDIT: Just fixing dome grammar errors. I apologize, but I don't have a beta or** **anything. Sorry if you thought it was a new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

Chapter 4

Jellal woke to the sound of the forest. Odd, because he didn't remember going anywhere. Last thing he remembered… A shadow? What had happened? He began to panic slightly.

"Hey, don't you pass out again. I can hear your breathing! Don't panic, we're just at Porlyusica's." Natsu's voice cut through the haze that surrounded his mind. He looked around, noticing that they were indeed inside the tree Porlyusica called home.

"Natsu, what happened?"

"I don't know how much you remember, but it was rough Jellal. When did you lose control?"

Jellal closed his eyes and started sorting through his memories.

"It was right after I released Shin'en. I wasn't completely sure what the spell would do, except that there would be an explosion of energy. I found it in an ancient tome that had references to Heavenly Body Magic. After the blast, I felt something… attach itself to me. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't even make it hesitate." Natsu sighed as Jellal recounted his story.

"Don't stress about it Jellal. I don't know many beings that can fight against one of the heralds. I barely beat him, and I was far from alone. We'll have to practice some more with that Shin'en though, find a way to keep you protected when you're performing it."

Jellal stretched and sat up, feeling the ache in his bones as he did. He sighed. Every time he fought Natsu it was the same thing. He would push Natsu to the limit, nearly defeating him, and Natsu would just access more. Whether it was Drive Incantation or Dragon Force, he could never quite top him. Even when he was possessed he couldn't push him all the way. Truthfully, he had only seen Natsu fight at his full power once, and it still surprised him.

"I have to say, it was pretty impressive. I would say it could even match me in Dragon Force. Couldn't stand up to my Stage 4 though. Plus, we need to choose a better name for it. Now get out of bed, I didn't hurt you that bad."

"What's wrong with Shin'en?"

"I don't know, doesn't have the right sound to it."

Jellal chuckled as he got off the bed, impressed by the way his friend never seemed to be fazed by anything. The world could be ending around him and he'd still have it in him to smile about something. He looked over and grabbed a shirt. He assumed his jacket didn't survive (which was a shame, as it was one of his favorite jackets), so the grey shirt would have to do. He took one more glance around the room before leaving, noting that Porlyusica hadn't been there that time. Outside Natsu was waiting for him.

"Come on! We got to go check the lacrimas real quick, then we can go back to the guild." Natsu yelled, already on the move. Jellal sighed, Natsu had too much energy. Running after the fire mage he could only smile as he heard the other man laugh loudly, declaring how he couldn't smell a thing because of all the magic in the air. Natsu's joy was infectious, and soon Jellal was laughing too.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The guild was oddly quiet when they arrived. Even with his enhanced senses Natsu could barely hear a thing. A familiar scent was in the air, but it was too convoluted for Natsu to identify who or what it was.

"Well Jellal, it looks like they decided to wait for us." Natsu said as they made their way to the door.

"Did you find anything wrong with the lacrimas?"

"Not in the slightest." Natsu scratched his head, his eyes drawn in confusion, "If anything they were filled with more magic than ever, and the magic was swirling in little mini storms in the lacrima. It was pretty weird."

"I'd have to agree. I'm sure there's an explanation. Maybe our apprentices decided to 'investigate' them again." Jellal answered with a chuckle.

"They better not. I thought we drilled it into their heads last time that what they did was stupid."

"You more than me my friend. I still think that making her do 10,000 laps around Magnolia, and then an SS-class mission with you without getting any money for it was a bit harsh."

"If I was too hard on my apprentice you were too soft on yours! No cake for a week? What kind of punishment is that? You didn't even say no treats! Only cake!"

"What can I say, she has a sweet tooth. She is like Erza in that regard." A silence came over them at that. Natsu sighed as they reached the door before freezing. Erza… her scent was all over the door.

"Let's not dwell on the past Natsu. Today is a day for celebration!" Jellal said as he began to push the door open.

Natsu watched as if the world was moving in slow motion, his mind racing as the smells began to identify themselves in his head. Erza, Lucy, Gray, Gajeel, Levy, Wendy. Gramps, Gildarts, Laxus. Others filtered through as well, but Natsu had already lost himself to the nostalgia that the scents brought to him. Days when he was more innocent, when his thoughts were filled with dreams of finding Igneel.

Before Tenrou Island.

His mind caught up with reality in that moment as his instincts cried out, warning him of danger. Jellal had now opened the door half way, and if who Natsu thought was behind that door, he wasn't planning on standing right in the way.

"Jellal! Don't do it!" He called out as he jumped back. Jellal turned and looked at him in confusion for a second before being sent flying as he turned back around, an armoured fist colliding with his face. Shock filled his mind as he flew spinning through the air. As he spun all he could focus on was the scarlet hair that briefly filled his vision. He landed roughly and looked up, his heart clenching as he looked up at the furious redhead that was standing at the door. Behind her stood a group of people he had never thought would again stand in the guild hall, but that shock was nothing to the girl standing in front of him. Slowly, he got up off the ground, words still eluding him. Not that mattered, as Erza was fast approaching.

"You baka! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You were possessed! How you could let that happen? And then you take 2 hours to get back! 2 hours! Who takes that long to make it back to the guild?" Jellal opened his mouth, only to be cut off again. "Don't answer that. You should be ashamed, making me worry like that! I mean, us. And now all you can do is stand there? Don't you have anything to say?" Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes, Jellal noted, and her mouth was struggling not to turn upwards. His breath caught at that thought.

 _I never thought I'd be able to see her again, let alone notice something like that._

She continued to rant at him, but he stopped listening, taking a shaky step forwards. Then another. Before he knew it, he had her in his arms, wrapping her in a hug. She stopped talking and let her tears flow from her eyes. They stood there for a second, no one watching willing to break the atmosphere, before Jellal let his doubts be heard.

"Is this real?" He whispered. Erza leaned back, smiling and blinking the tears away from her eyes.

"Of course it is baka. Thanks for waiting."

The cheers broke out form there, the group of spectators moving inside to start the party with a scarlet knight and an arguably redder Jellal. Cheers of "Aye sir!" echoed across the building, as well as a "That's MANLY!" being thrown in as well. Lucy looked around excitedly, seeing all her guildmates celebrate without a care in the world (though she had to sweat-drop at the amount of beer being passed around, the sun hadn't even set yet), though she was looking for one member in particular. She saw him standing off to the side, where he had jumped to when the door had been opened. He was smiling softly, staring at the guild hall and the occupants therein, and his eyes were watering slightly at the sight. She started making her way towards him before another voice cried out.

"Natsu!" Lisanna yelled out, laughing, "Get in here! We can't party without you!" At this point she was pulling on his arm. Natsu laughed and looked at her fondly.

"Are you drunk already?" Said girl nodded her head vigorously.

"Gildarts showed me where the good stuff is," she whispered secretly. Natsu once again laughed, holding her up as she began to sway.

"Of course he did. As long as he doesn't give any to Liz, last thing we need is her drunk. Oh, Lucy!" Said Celestial Mage had stopped to listen to the two, but smiled as the Dragon Slayer approached, smiling brightly.

"Hey Natsu!" she said.

"Hey yourself," he then sighed, "It's been some time, at least on this end. Its good to see you guys again. I'll have to do a job with the old team one of these days!"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome Natsu." Natsu paused and smiled, a hint of sadness slipping through his expression.

"I missed you guys. Even the stripper over there." True to his words, Gray was already in the process of disrobing as he was drinking.

Laughing, the pair (with Lisanna singing over Natsu's shoulder) walked into the Guild Building, heading over to the bar. They sat there and Natsu began watching his friends, looking for the little things that he had missed so dearly.

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy asked, "Why aren't you freaking out like Jellal did?" Honestly, she was a little bugged by his lack of reaction (and maybe just a little by the white haired drunk girl trying to curl up in his lap, seemingly… purring?).

"Eh, you guys are back, that's good enough for me." He smiled sadly, looking over at the two blushing mages that were currently surrounded by the others from Tenrou Island. "I guess I was able to let it go, in a way. I missed you guys, a lot, but after I finished grieving I could live my life fully. Trust me Lucy, it took a while," he chuckled here, obviously remembering some experience, "but things changed. I had to grow up fast I guess. Jellal never got over Erza's death, he's kept it locked up inside, so her reappearing here is a shock to him. A good shock, if that's any indication."

He gestured back to the group, where Laxus and Gajeel were currently engaged in some sort of contest with a laughing and smiling Jellal.

"That's the most I've seen him laughing, really laughing, since word of your guy's deaths reached him. In fact, this is the most alive the guild has been in years!"

Lucy took in the sight of her guild. Each and every member was laughing and partying, not a shred of sadness in the room. She too laughed at the sight of her friends, all laughing and drinking. Alive and well. As she observed them she noticed Gildarts approaching.

"HEY, NATSU! How's it going? Man, that was quite a match today! I can't wait to fight you myself." Gildarts said, and for a moment Lucy could see past the drunkenness that surrounded him and saw the fire behind his eyes. With a start she realized he was excited.

"I'll face you whenever you want you geezer! Just not tonight, lets enjoy the party for now!"

"Haha, alright Natsu. Let's go ahead and –"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted as a chair slammed into his face, having been thrown from somewhere in the guild. He spun around and stormed off in the direction it had come from. Unfortunately, as he did he tripped and landed on the table that Cana was sitting on, his magic destroying the table and sending all her beer to the ground. In retaliation Cana sent an empty barrel flying through the air, though her aim was just a little off, hitting Elfman as he was making his way across the guild.

"Hitting people while they're going to talk to someone is NOT MANLY!" he screamed and threw a fist in the general direction. He hit Gray, who turned and hit Romeo.

"That's it! **Fire Make: Blazing Sun!** " A ball of fire appeared in his hands, glowing bright like a miniature sun. He threw it forwards, only for it to be caught by Hisui, her hand glowing in golden light. She looked at for a moment before a table narrowly missed her.

"Damn." Hisui's eyes narrowed at the word, and turning she found a certain Dragon Slayer with her hand outstretched, an area in front of her empty (though there should have been a table there. A brief moment of anger surged through her, and she whipped the fire ball towards the blonde.

"Damn!? Eat this Liz!"

Near the bar Lucy was staring in resigned horror at the brawl that was only getting larger. One by one, members were pulled in. Even Levy, after Gajeel was punched into her by Laxus, was up and throwing magic around. She sighed as Mira was hit by a flying plate and transformed. Almost immediately Erza was on her, the childhood rivalry between the two flaring up as they too joined the brawl. She noticed a few people heading their way. Jellal and Makarov had made their way over through the battle, Gildarts coming in just a few moments later.

"Well, that didn't take long," Jellal said, taking a seat. He thanked Kinana as she handed him a drink.

"Personally, I think it's been too long," Natsu quipped.

"You're just salty that you haven't been able to participate in years."

"Too true my friend, too true," the pink haired mage sighed back. Gildarts chuckled and sat back as well, watching the guild run amuck. Natsu moved slightly, shifting the now sleeping Lisanna (honestly, how much alcohol did Gildarts give her?). Makarov caught his shuffling and leaned over.

"Do not fret Natsu, she was rather tired today. You both have done a great job in our absence, and I have no doubt that it was difficult. You've made us proud my boy. You are both true Fairy Tail Wizards."

Natsu looked at the old man, then smiled. Even after years of hardship, of training and growth, Makarov could still read him so easily. The old man had already turned back to the party, interrupting the brawl with a massive fist and calling for more drinks.

"It's beautiful." Jellal said. Lucy looked at him funny, but Natsu understood. The guild had lost a lot of its spirit in the last 7 years. But now? It truly was beautiful. But…

"Are you talking about the guild or a certain member?" he asked slyly. He could never let that opportunity pass itself up. His grin widened as he saw the blush making its way up his neck.

"Did you guys see who started that fight? That chair hurt!" Gildarts spoke up.

"How did that even hit you? I thought your magic stops that."

"Usually it does, but I was supressing it so I could have a drink. If I didn't supress the crash magic, I'd destroy the hall the first time I did something stupid!" Lucy sweat–dropped.

 _Of course._

"I'd put money on Happy throwing the chair. Notice how we haven't heard a word from him yet?" The others looked around, and sure enough none of the Exceeds were present. A cackle sounded from above them, and they looked up to see the cats up in the rafters.

"Happy!

"Aye sir!"

"That hurt dammit!" Happy shrugged and pulled a grilled fish from his backpack, sharing with Lily and Carla as well.

"I had to do it, Lucy told me to!" Lucy felt her jaw drop as she quickly denied his claims. "Yes you did! You said 'I wonder if they still have guild brawls', so that means I had to show you! Don't deny it Lucy!"

Soon Lucy was in a full-blown argument with the cat, inciting laughter among those watching (though even Lucy had to admit that arguing with a cat was sad).

Makarov laughed with the rest of them before turning back to Natsu and Jellal. "Alright boys. You've had a long day, had a great fight, and now you've been blessed with the return of beloved friends. Now, let lose, and join the party!" Both mages looked at each other, smirking, then back at the Wizard Saint.

"Aye sir."

••••••••••••••••••••••

He was close. He could feel the magic in the air, singing to him. The stars were out, beautifully spread out across the night sky. He sighed as he took a minute to look up at them, basking in the endlessness of them. How he longed to join them in the sky.

But he couldn't, not yet.

So, he went back to walking, and within a minute he was once again cursing the forest under his breath.

"Stupid bugs, stupid branches. If I wasn't trying to be secretive, I'd burn the whole forest down," he muttered. He supposed it was his own fault, he could have travelled a different way. Yet, this was nothing compared to the dread that accompanied travelling on one those death traps they called trains. Boats were okay, to a degree, but what fool _enjoyed_ being trapped in a speeding metal death trap?

He shouted a curse as he fell, tripping on one of the many roots on the ground. He just HAD to pick an abandoned road, didn't he? Old. Decrepit. Decaying. Crumbling. Decomposing.

BANG!

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FREAKING ROOTS ON THIS DAMN ROAD!"

He sighed again, making no move to get up. He had hoped to arrive that night, but he could wait till morning. Or maybe evening. He smiled into the ground.

 _Fairy Tail won't know what hit them._

••••••••••••••••••••••

The night passed in a blur for Natsu. By the time the sun rose, he could barely stand, let alone clean. The guild had somewhat emptied throughout the night, people like Alzack and Bisca went home earlier with their kid, and some just stumbled off into the night, enticing the entire town to join in their celebration. Natsu looked up at the rising sun and sighed again. That night he had been challenged to at least three drinking contests, and many (infinite) fights by drunken guildmates. His only saving grace was that Lisanna had passed out earlier, and that Liz hadn't gotten her hands on alcohol. Hisui had probably drank, but who knows with that girl. She could be hammered and her 'manners' wouldn't let her act like it. He himself had drank far too much, but thanks to his internal body temperature he burned it off within seconds of it going down his throat. So, instead of hanging out with his newly alive friends, he found himself playing housemaid to his guild all night, cleaning up what he could, burning what he couldn't. When the guild looked somewhat clean he went to a couch on one of the walls and laid down, hoping to get a few minutes of sleep. Maybe Happy would fall down from the rafters while he was out.

Fast forward what seemed like a minute to the sleeping dragon slayer, and that did indeed come to pass.

"AHHHHHH" Lucy screamed as the blue ball of fur landed on her face. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, STUPID CAT?"

"Luuucy, why are you so meeean?"

Ugh. Natsu moved to get up, hopefully to kick the two loud mages out of the building, but found that he couldn't. He wiggled a bit, feeling a weight settled on him and smiled as a scent reached his nose. He nudged the bundle that was curled up on him, hidden under a blanket.

"Hey," he whispered, "It's time to get up dummy."

"Nooo… I don't wanna." The sleepily slurred words came out from the blankets.

"Please?"

"You're warm."

"True. I'm also getting up."

"Wanna bet?" she whispered, cuddling in more.

"We have to get up eventually." A strand of white hair slipped out of the blankets, filling Natsu's head with her scent.

"In five minutes?" Natsu sighed. He never won this argument.

"Alright, I guess. But you have to clean up the bathrooms then. I could barely get close they smelt so bad."

"I'll just get Max to do it."

"You're evil," he said, reaching his arm around and pulling her in and twisting, pulling her so they were laying side by side with him by the edge of the couch. It was a little cramped, but that didn't matter too much.

"I know." He could hear her smirk.

"Natsu? What are you doing?"

Natsu looked over quickly, seeing Wendy standing there.

"Oh hey Wendy. You're awake?"

"Most people are now Natsu. Only a few people are still asleep. Well, were asleep, I'm pretty sure Lucy and Happy woke them up. We helped clean too! Erza made Gray clean the bathrooms though." A snicker came from behind him. "Somehow Gajeel escaped with Levy before Erza noticed him." She paused and sniffed the air. "Is Lisanna around? I thought I heard her a few seconds ago." A sound came from behind Natsu and Lisanna pushed her head out from under the blanket.

"I'm here."

Natsu could honestly say that even with the previous days embarrassing moments (for Jellal), he had never seen a bluenette with quite that red of a face.

"O-o-o-oh. I-I-I'm s-sorry. I, uh… I'm sorry!" She said as she began to move away. Natsu chuckled and Lisanna flicked him in the back of the neck.

"Wendy, come back." Wendy slowly approached head down. He reached his arms out and pulled her closer. "We were just taking a nap Wendy, you've been spending too much time with Erza. We'll be up in a few minutes"

"A nap?"

"Mmmhmmm," Lisanna piped in, "He's warm and really comfortable. We fell into the habit when we were on our journey… well, we just never stopped. We'll be up in five." And with that and a yawn she ducked under the blanket again, burrowing into Natsu's back. Natsu chuckled at the face the Wendy made, indecision crossing her features.

"Is everything alright Wendy?"

"Umm… sort of. I just realized this morning, I don't have anywhere to stay. I was talking to everyone else, and their stuff was all put into guild storage. Most of the girls are all going back to Fairy Hills, but I don't know if there will be room or if I will have to find a place and-"

"Woah, Wendy, slow down!" The younger girl had begun to speed up every word she said. He went to stand up (or even just sit up), but a discontent noise from behind him made hesitate. "How about this? You can stay with me!" A scoff this time. Lisanna's groggy voice could be heard from under the blanket as she shuffled about.

"With _you_? You life in a shack." Slowly she came out from the blanket, positioning them so she was sitting next to Natsu on the couch, leaning in to steal some more warmth.

"I do not!"

"What would you call it then?"

"It's a cabin."

"That… _thing_ … is not a cabin. I don't even know how you stand being there!"

"Well, I can't exactly move it!" At this point Happy and Lucy walked over, Carla joining when she saw that Wendy was in their direction. People had begun to trickle back into the guild, the returned mages mostly using the tables to fill out paperwork to settle their housing.

"Aye sir! That would be hard!" Happy said, flying over to sit on the couch next to Natsu.

"What would be so hard about it?" Lucy questioned, "I've been there, it isn't that big." Happy looked at Lucy with a smile.

"Wow Lucy, you're pretty dumb."

"HEY!" Natsu laughed and turned to the mage (as well as a few others that had gathered).

"It's not just the shack Lucy."

"HAA! You admit it!" Lisanna laughed. Natsu just grinned and subtly slipped an arm around her.

"I'm pretty sure I said cabin."

"Don't think so flame for brains." Gray said as he joined the group. He looked around tat he small group before pointing towards a table. "Why don't we go to a table instead of standing around matchstick while he sits on a nice couch?"

After a few minutes they had moved to one of the larger tables, each eating some food as noon rolled past.

"So why can't you move your place?" Gray asked. Natsu sighed.

"Well…"

"Cause his treasure is there, duh." A new voice said. Hisui and Liz were just walking into the guild, coming from their apartment. When the two had gotten old enough to move out of Fairy Hills they had quickly realized that it would be much cheaper to share one, and with Liz being raised in the woods and Hisui not having access to the royal funds, they didn't have a tin of money.

"His treasure?" Lucy asked, voicing the question most people were wondering. Natsu seemed rather embarrassed (an interesting expression for him) and Lisanna and Happy seemed just about ready to burst out laughing.

"Yeah, of course he has a treasure hoard. Its a dragon's instinct!" The group looked at him funnily, then a thought struck Lucy.

"Wait, does that mean you have a hoard too Liz?"

"Yeah, I hid mine pretty close to my home. But don't tell anyone that! It may not be very big, but its mine." The group couldn't help but laugh at her defensiveness. Levy looked over at the smallest dragon slayer.

"Wendy, do you have one too?" Wendy smiled shyly.

"Yeah, I do. It's really small though."

"What about you Gajeel."

"Of course I do! Laxus too."

Natsu laughed. He couldn't help but think of Laxus, so serious and powerful, rolling around on a pile of gold. Not that HE ever did that.

"Fine, how about she lives with Liz and Hisui then? Liz! Come here!"

Liz walked in from the kitchen, shooting a dirty look at Hisui who was laughing at the flour that covered the front of the blonde girl.

"What's up?"

"Wendy's going to live with you."

"Sure! We've got an extra room." Natsu nodded and looked to Wendy.

"That okay with you?" Wendy nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you very much Natsu! I –"

"Nope! No need to get all thankful Wendy. I'm just looking out for ya."

"Okay!"

With that the group split up a bit. As Liz went to head back to her disastrous cake (why was cooking so hard?) she felt someone tug lightly on the back of her shirt. Turning Wendy was standing there, looking sheepish.

"Thank you Liz. You didn't have to do that for me, but thank you." Liz smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Anything for Natsu's little sister!" Wendy's eyes widened.

"W-what? I'm not his little sister!"

"Really? That's how Natsu talked about you. Whenever he told us stories he would call you his little sis. It was pretty obvious he loved you like one. Is that a bad thing?" Wendy shook her head quickly.

"Nonono, I just didn't expect it… I always wanted a big brother…" Liz ruffled her hair again and winked.

"Well he's a little like a brother to me too, so I guess that makes us sisters then, right?" she asked. Wendy smiled brightly and nodded.

"I'd like that."

"Want to help me bake a cake?" Wendy smiled and nodded once more, but before she could say anything a voice called out loudly across the guild.

"You call that thing a cake! We should put up signs warning the members away from something that toxic!" Hisui yelled, making Liz frown at her best friend.

"Oh! That reminds me! I have an announcement to make! Can we get everyone to gather in a little bit? We can have some lunch first. And then we can have some cake." Lisanna said, getting between the two girls before a brawl broke out.

An hour later the whole guild had been brought back to the guild hall, filling the entire area with members. Lisanna stood at the front on the stage, facing the crowd of people. On the stage behind her were the S-class mages, all of them. Lucy couldn't help but notice how close Erza was standing to Jellal, and if Natsu's smirk was anything to go by he noticed it too. Lisanna cleared her voice and the hall quieted.

"Fairy Tail! I have called us here today for some wonderful news! First things first, I want to officially welcome our lost members back into the guild!" A deafening cheer erupted from all members.

"Second, I have an announcement. When we got back from our journey, me and Natsu dedicated ourselves to rebuilding Fairy Tail," her voice broke slightly, "It was hard, but worth every moment to see us here today, together today. When I took the position I hold, I promised that I'd be the best Guild Master I could be, as long as I was the one for the job. However, today is the day that one has appeared, or rather reappeared, who is far more suited than I. I officially resign as the Fifth Master of Fairy Tail and pass the torch back to Makarov Dreyar, the Third Master. And finally, as my last act as the Master of this fine guild, I reinstate Laxus Dreyar as a full S-class member of our guild. Welcome home baka." As the words left her mouth the Thunder Tribe broke out into cheers, Laxus standing among them with a gobsmacked expression on his face. Lisanna smiled then turned back to Makarov.

"I had guessed that something like this was going to happen."

"Sorry Master, but the post is yours. I can't have it while you are better for the guild."

"It's quite alright child. Thank you for taking care of the guild for all these years without me." Lisanna nodded and turned once more to the crowd.

"Before I let the Sixth Master give his words, I have one more exciting piece of news. Jellal, if you would step forward." Jellal did as he was asked, a questioning look on his face. "Five years ago you were released from prison on probation. This morning I received a message from the magic council. This is what it said. 'Jellal Fernandes, you are hereby released from probation, receiving the full rights and responsibilities of a Guild Wizard. The restrictions placed upon you by the council, and your ban from participating in the Grand Magic Games, have been released. Take heart, and be strong, in the name of Fiore!'" Eyes wide, Jellal looked to the take-over mage. Shocked, the guild began clapping, slowly at first, then loudly as the implications began to settle. Makarov smiled and walked forwards, letting Lisanna fall back amongst the S-class mages.

"Fairy Tail!" The guild hall fell silent. "This very morning I heard some rather interesting news. A travelling merchant told of a competition of sorts, one that was just mentioned. Being curious, I decided to investigate. It appears that once a year, a festival is held. The Grand Magic Games. The place where mages from around Fiore compete to see who is strongest. I assumed that Fairy Tail would be first, but I heard that last year we came in third! A guild called Sabertooth has taken the first place spot, with Lamia Scale right behind them! After seeing the strength of Natsu and Jellal, I must ask why." Natsu stepped forward.

"Well gramps, we have never participated. Jellal was never allowed, though that has been fixed now, and I have had pressing business elsewhere during that time. Also, as the one responsible for Jellal, I couldn't leave him alone. Plus, I don't usually go into the capital, something about 'kidnapping' Hisui."

"Then with Jellal's recent freedom from such restrictions?" A feral grin lit up Natsu's face.

"I don't see why not."

"Very well. LISTEN UP YOU BRATS! IT'S TIME TO PUT FAIRY TAIL BACK ON TOP, YOU HEAR ME? TRAIN HARD, FOR WE ONLY HAVE THREE MONTHS LEFT BEFORE THE FESTIVAL STARTS! SO I EXPECT YOU ALL READY TO GO BY THEN! DO YOU HEAR ME FIORE? FAIRY TAIL IS BACK, STRONGER THAN EVER! HERE WE COME!"

The shouts that followed could be heard for miles around.

••••••••••••••••••••••

On the edge of town a man smiled. He had finally gotten off that forsaken road, and now he had a straight view of his target. Fairy Tail.

••••••••••••••••••••••

As the cheers began to peter off, Wendy heard a slight rumbling. She straightened, trying to hear better. In the corner of her vision she saw Laxus and Gajeel do the same. Not a second after Liz was up too. Something was coming. She could feel it in the air. It was screaming at her in a way that it never had before, the scent of danger filling her with dread. The rumbling became louder, getting the attention of the others as well.

"What the hell?" Gray said. "What's going on?"

His questions were answered a mere moment later when the guild doors were slammed open. An intense wave of heat rolled over them, and a figure emerged from the blinding light that shone through the doors.

Standing in the doorway was a man, tall and strong, a light tan covering his skin. He was lean, with short hair covering his head. It seemed to change colours, ranging from red to orange, as it swayed slightly in the wind. His clothes were a deep red, a simple jacket rimmed with gold without a shirt underneath. He was wearing black pants, and had a blank look on his face. He was probably around Gildarts' age, perhaps a slight bit younger.

The entire guild stared at him. Unconsciously they began to gather in a group, wary of the magic and heat that was rolling off the man. However, Makarov noted, not a single Dragon Slayer had made a move against the man. For the most part, they seemed afraid. Even Laxus seemed rooted to the ground with a look of horror on his face. Gajeel had gripped Levy tight, keeping her behind him. Gildarts noticed this too, and took the incentive to get involved. Walking forward he moved to stand in front of the stranger.

"Can I help you?" He asked kindly, offset by his deadly glare.

"That depends. Can you point me in the direction of Natsu?"

"And why would you need that?"

"I suppose you could say we have business," He replied with a confident smirk.

Makarov looked around as Gildarts denied the stranger access. He always had been protective of the pink haired Dragon Slayer. What he found he found when he did was a surprise. Laxus and the other Dragon Slayers were still frozen in spot, fear on their features as the stranger's magic filled the air, a consequence of Gildarts' refusal. That was normal, as they had been showing signs of fear since the man entered, but the odd part came from the two other Dragon Slayers. Liz wasn't even watching the confrontation, instead looking at Natsu with something akin to excitement. Hisui looked confused, whispering something to Liz. Meanwhile, Natsu was being scolded by Lisanna, with a chuckling Jellal beside them. Natsu had one hand rubbing the back of his head and looked pretty sheepish, and from what Makarov could gather he was claiming innocence. A sound echoed throughout the guild, one that chilled Makarov to the bone, and he turned his attention back to the two men at the entrance. The man was tensed, growling at the Crash Mage, baring his sharpened teeth.

 _Wait? Sharp Teeth?_

Makarov shook his head as the similarities began to become obvious. The way he sniffed as he walked through the door, the way he held his hands at his side like they were weapons of destruction. Even the heat began to feel similar.

 _Another Dragon Slayer?!_

"Not quite Gramps." Natsu said from behind him, seeing where his train of thought had gone.

"A request to see the master of the guild." The man said to Gildarts, who nodded. Makarov made his way to the front, his mind stuck on what Natsu had said. Maybe he was a second generation slayer?

"Hello, I am Makarov Dreyar, Sixth Master of Fairy Tail. What can we do for you?" Makarov expected some amount of surprise, maybe a little shock, as the man was confronted with the supposed dead guild master. What he didn't expect was the absolute terror that filled his eyes. Seemingly disappearing and reappearing in front of him, the man was all of sudden staring down at the short Master. His voice came out as a whisper, one that promised retribution.

"Where's the kid? What happened to her?"

"I'm right here you Baka!" Lisanna yelled. Immediately Makarov could see the relief spreading through the man's posture as he looked past the crowd. He walked past Makarov to the stage, hopping up onto the platform and pulling the white haired girl into a hug.

"Damn you Lisanna! Don't scare me like that! You told me you were the Master!" The guild looked as the man went from an impossible force, one that seemed on the edge of a battle, to a normal guy in seconds, confused.

"Oh shut up," Natsu said, approaching the man as he continued to complain about how Lisanna freaked him out. "We just had a change of leadership. Our friends actually survived Tenrou Island, so we were just returning the rightful Master to his place."

"Wait, these are the guys that were killed by Acnologia? So the guy with orange hair?"

"Gildarts."

"You were right then, he seems strong. So... how are you two doing?" He asked. Natsu chuckled.

"Just fine, you old grump. Now, why are you even here? The council isn't meeting for another month."

"What, I can't just visit?" All that he was met with was a raised eyebrow. "Alright, I do have another reason, but it can wait for now. I think Liz is about to burst!" he finished with a laugh.

The guild watched with even more confusion as Liz bolted from her spot into a tackling hug, slamming into the side of the man with a cry of "UNCLE!" Natsu laughed and turned to his friends.

"I guess some introductions are in order. Everyone this is a long time friend of mine. I helped him out a sticky situation a few years back, and in return he helped to train me in some special techniques. Without him I would be nowhere near as powerful as I am today."

"Yeah, you'd be dead." Lisanna said as she walked up as well, letting Liz and their friend catch up. "He's saved our lives just as often as we've helped him. Jellal met him once, and Hisui has heard some stories. Liz and me are the only ones that have met with him more than that, besides Natsu that is."

"So, if he trained you… is he a Dragon Slayer too?" Gray asked. Strangely it wasn't Natsu that answered, but a quiet voice coming from Gajeel, odd for the usually boisterous man.

"He's no slayer." Natsu nodded.

"That's right! You guys can chill out too, he's not like the one that almost killed us." With that Natsu turned to the rest of the guild, after making sure each of the dragon slayers had calmed down first. Hisui had walked over to Wendy and was whispering some words to her to make her stop staring in fear at the man.

"Everyone, I would like introduce you to Atlas Flame, one of my father's most trusted friends."

Makarov's eyes widened.

"Your father?"

"Yes. This is the advisor to the Fire Dragon King Igneel, Champion of the Dragon King's Candidate, and master of the Flames of Hell. He is the Eternal Flame, once frozen, who now roams the world free. He is Atlas Flame, the Hellfire Dragon."

"WHAAAAAAT!"

* * *

 **So, another cliffhanger huh? I apologize if its getting annoying, but I'm not that great of a writer, so its the easiest and least awkward way for me to end chapters. As always, feel free to review! Next chapter: What does Atlas need Natsu for? Why is he there? How does Natsu know about council meetings? How will Lucy react to Natsu and Lisanna, as well as her dad being gone? Will I ever end a chapter without a** **cliffhanger? All this and more coming soon!**

 **Ps. Almost at 50 followers! And already over 50 favorites!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter! So, this one is a little** **strangely formatted, but I hope it works out. I'm getting pretty psyched about how many followers I'm getting, so thank you to anyone and everyone who's reviewed! You guys are amazing! I've also gone back over the last chapters and fixed as many of the grammar error that I could find, so sorry if I still missed any!**

 **On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own Fairy Tail, no matter how much I complain.**

Chapter 5

 **Celestial Tears**

It was a rainy day in Magnolia. Lucy sighed as she walked through the downpour, making her way to her apartment. Or at least, her old apartment. She had stayed the previous night in the guild hall, so she had no idea what state it was in. She sighed. The day had ended rather abruptly after Atlas arrived. Almost immediately after the introductions were made he had run off with Lisanna, Natsu, Jellal, and their apprentices. It hurt in a way, and though they'd never admit it, it hurt Erza and Gray too. They were a team, they should be there helping them, running off on some crazy adventure. Yet, Lucy knew she was being somewhat harsh. It wasn't the same for Natsu, the last 5 years had passed by slowly without them.

He had grown into someone that, though he looked the same, wasn't the Natsu that they remembered. He was different, more mature at times, and stronger than they could imagine. She didn't want to think of what he had to go through all alone to get to where he was now. Except, he hadn't been alone, had he? He had Happy and Jellal, even the two younger girls who called them masters. And now he had Atlas as well. What did he even need them for? He had his new team, all of them stronger than ever before. Why, she had never seen Lisanna as someone to fear, but now?

Her heart clenched and anger coursed through her body. She knew it wasn't rational, but for some reason she couldn't get over how close Lisanna seemed to be to Natsu. Every time she saw them together she was touching him, be it a hand on his knee or leaning against his side. It was so… so…

Sighing once more, she turned the corner onto her street, balancing on the side of the canal like she had a thousand times before. She didn't know how to finish that thought, not really. A man called out for her to be careful, and to congratulate her on her return. She smiled in reply, trusting herself to not fall in. She never had before. After a few more minutes, she was standing at the entrance of her building. She shook herself from her negative thoughts and smiled brightly as she prepared to negotiate (beg) for her apartment back.

"Here we go." She said to herself before knocking at the door. A few moments passed before a shuffling before her landlady opened the door, looking at some of the papers in her hands.

"What do you want? I've got some pressing matters to…" her voice trailed off as she looked up, shock filling her face. "Lucy?" she whispered. Lucy smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry, I'm a bit late for my rent." The words had barely left her mouth before a sharp pain emanated from her head. The landlady had hit her head with the considerably sized stack of papers.

"You baka! I had heard that you survived two days ago! Why the hell haven't you been back before now?"

"Well, I was catching up with business at the guild."

"And where did you sleep?" The accusatory glare from the older woman was enough to make Lucy tremble.

"Umm, the guild?"

"You baka." The words came harshly, but as Lucy looked up she could see the smile tugging at her lips.

"So do I need to get my stuff out of storage? And how much do I owe you for the time?" Lucy asked as she entered the building. The landlady turned and handed her a key before smiling sadly, the harshness from earlier gone.

"It's all been paid for. Your father paid the entire thing before he passed on. He claimed a fairy told him that you'd be okay, can you believe that?"

"Really? Did he say what the fairy's name was?" Lucy couldn't believe her luck! She had never thought her dad would be that kind. Though, when she left he had been getting much better. "Never mind, I'll just ask him when I visit him. I only have three months to get ready for the Grand Magic Games, but I guess can make time to visit."

A sniffle filled the air, and Lucy turned to find her landlady sitting down, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. The sight was foreign; she had never seen so much emotion from the elderly lady before.

"Lucy… I think you should sit down. We need to have a talk."

••••••••••••••••••••••

Jude Heartfilia, X745 – X791. Rest in peace.

With her housing situation settled, having been settled before she had even returned, Lucy had only one thing she needed to do that day. Kneeling by her father's grave, she felt the rain pour down on her head. He had been buried in Magnolia, apparently moving there a couple years ago wishing to be there when she returned.

She had just been too late.

She was glad it was raining, the water coursing down her face. It was better this way, because she didn't have to know if she was crying. What was she supposed to feel? This was the man who neglected her, the man that when she finally found true happiness, tried to take it away. He was nothing but despicable to her. But he was also the man that turned his life around, who waited for her until the last day he could, who (as she had found when she entered her room) gave her a present each year, accompanied by a letter written by his own hand. Truthfully, she didn't know how she felt. Was she a good enough person to let go of all he did? Is that even what a good person would do? She felt so lost.

She shivered as the rain began to pour down more, the water cascading out of the sky in waves. A sniffle came out of her, and she was sure that if she stayed out there much longer she was sure to get sick. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to leave. Despite all the wrong he did, or how she thought she felt about him, he had stayed in Magnolia, waiting for her to return. The least she could do is stay by his grave for a little while longer. It was peaceful, empty. She didn't have to feel here, didn't have to wonder unless she really wanted to. A small cough filled the emptiness that surrounded her.

"That's funny. It didn't feel like I coughed." She wondered aloud. In response, a warm pair of arms wrapped around her shoulder, the heat filling the empty chill that had permeated through her. Natsu, somehow, had found her. In retrospect, she shouldn't have been so surprised. Natsu could always find her.

"I'm sorry Luce." Lucy shook herself out of his embrace, turning as she stood up.

"Why are you even here? Don't you have _important business_ to be discussing with your new team?" Natsu shook his head.

"Lucy. No one deserves to be alone, especially when they've experienced loss. It's a slippery slope, and it's one that I won't let you go down." Lucy just huffed and sat back down. She was sure she was crying now, her frustration mixing with the loss she was feeling. Natsu sat down beside her. For a few minutes all was quiet save the rain hitting the cobblestone. Finally, Natsu shuffled and spoke.

"I know this is hard. I know that I've changed, a lot. But, we're still Nakama Lucy." Another minute of silence. "You know, I never knew your father all that well. After he moved to Magnolia I made every effort to avoid him. He had hurt you, so I tried to avoid giving him a chance. Yet, there was this one time. It was right after a tough battle, a strong opponent had tried to take me out earlier that day by disabling my senses, so I couldn't smell him as I went to buy some fish for Happy. We bumped into each other at one of the stalls. It took him the better part of an hour, but soon we found ourselves talking at one of the cafés in town. We sat there for hours, though it was mostly me talking. He was full of questions, each one thought out carefully. And of all the things to ask about, he could never leave one single topic alone. You. He wanted to know more about you, so he could feel connected to you in a way he never had been before. He was looking forward to making it up to you he said, and that thought is what drove his actions. He knew as well as we do that he was far from a perfect man, but at least by the end he had changed, for you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Natsu smiled sadly.

"I know what it's like to lose a Father Lucy. Every day after Igneel disappeared I had wished I could spend one more moment with him, that I could know what he thought of me. I had no idea why he left, but I had hope it was for good reason. I guess I thought if you knew what your dad thought of you, of himself, before he died it would help."

Lucy stopped for a minute, then shook her head. This wasn't what she wanted to hear, but a part deep inside of her calmed at Natsu's words. Maybe this isn't what she wanted, but it _was_ what she needed.

"Thank you Natsu."

"Anytime Luce. That's what teammates are for."

As she felt the panic and stress leave her, she felt her mind begin to wander. Searching herself, she could still feel the grief, but it wasn't all encompassing as it was just moments before. And there, in the storm that was her soul, a question stood. She resisted it for a few minutes, enough time for the rain to let up. The sun's rays began to filter through, filling the afternoon sky with a shining light. So there sat, in comfortable silence, until eventually she could ignore it no more.

"Hey Natsu?"

"Yeah Lucy?"

To be honest, she didn't know if she even wanted to know the answer. She didn't know if this was the time to ask the question, but she also knew that if she didn't ask now she'd regret it.

"What is going on between you and Lisanna?"

As the words left her mouth she felt herself go rigid. _Well_ , she thought, _may as well get everything that's bugging me out of the way all at once._ Natsu sighed and leaned back.

"That's a little more complicated Luce."

"You care about her." It wasn't a question.

"I care about everyone in the guild."

"But she's different."

"Everyone is different Lucy."

"But she's _different_." Another sigh.

"Yeah." Lucy laid down in the grass now, looking up at the slowly fading sunlight.

"Are you dating?" She couldn't help but ask. She would have been lying if she said that she had never thought of Natsu that way. They had been so close, that she supposed in her heart she couldn't help but think of it.

"In a way. Like I said, it's complicated Luce. I'll tell you what, after we're done training for the Grand Magic Games, I'll tell you everything. Gray and Erza, and the whole Tenrou Island Team too. Okay?"

"Okay." Once again Lucy found herself at a loss as to what she was feeling.

"Listen, even though I've been distant, it doesn't mean I value you guys any less than before, okay?" At this Natsu stood up, reaching a hand down with his signature grin on his face as he offered to help her up. "In fact, I want you guys to train extra hard, that way you guys can fight right alongside us."

Lucy couldn't help but smile back at that goofy grin and nodded her head.

"Okay, you got it Natsu."

"Now let's go back to the guild. We've been worried sick, you told us you'd be back this afternoon. Besides, we've got some news about training."

••••••••••••••••••••••

LINE BREAK

••••••••••••••••••••••

 **Frozen Reunions**

Gray had been at the guild all morning. His own home was all settled, it was raining outside, and he was just relaxing at the bar, but he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the was forgetting something.

"GRAY! YOUR CLOTHES!"

Oh, yeah. He wasn't sure when it happened, but it appeared that he was missing his outerwear again. Looking around he found his pants, but his shirt was gone. That was fine though, he probably would have lost it anyways. A weight slumped into the chair next to him and his missing shirt was put onto the bar in front of him, and he looked over to see who had returned his garment.

"Juvia is sorry, but she wanted to give you your shirt back. Not that Juvia minds you not having a shirt!" Gray sighed before putting his shirt on.

"Thanks Juvia." Juvia smiled brightly at his thanks, but the glee faded as she looked outside.

"Juvia still does not like the rain." She said dejectedly.

That's right, Gray had forgotten Juvia's odd dislike for the rain. Ever since she had joined Fairy Tail she had stopped creating a localized 'gloomy' storm, but the rain was still a reminder of her past he guessed. He could relate, he still hated any mention of Deloria. However, even though he knew how it felt, he had no clue what to do about it. He could barely handle a happy Juvia, a sad one was just too much,

"Hey Stripper!" Now that was something he could handle.

"Yeah Flame face?" Natsu had entered the guild and was walking over to him. He sat down beside them with a grin on his face.

"So, if I were to say that I had a surprise for you, what would you say?"

"That depends, is it that you're willing to fight me?" Gray shot back. He wasn't stupid, he knew he didn't really stand a chance (though he didn't want to admit it), the fight from the other day was proof enough for that. But, he still wanted to try. Natsu, on the other hand, wouldn't hear of it.

"Sorry ice-pop, not yet. I'm not really all that great at holding back my strength, and until you've trained a bit I can't promise anything. But, you're sorta right!" Natsu reached around the bar and grabbed a drink. "Anyways, I'm going to need you to meet me at the beach in 10 minutes." He grabbed a glass and began to pour the juice into it.

"You know it's raining, right? And what's with the fruit juice?"

"I know it's raining freeze face, but we need to get this done today! Juvia, you can come too. And I burn through alcohol too fast, and juice has more flavour. Plus, it's like noon, way too early for alcohol."

"NATSU!" Kinana yelled as she came from the kitchen. "WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT JUST TAKING DRINKS?"

"Whoops, got to go! Remember, 10 minutes, by the waterfront!" And with that he was running out the door.

"Juvia thinks we should start walking."

"Alright, lets go," Gray said back, only to be stopped by and irate purple haired girl.

"I don't think so! Someone has to pay for Natsu's drink"

"That pink bastard!"

Ten minutes later the upset ice mage and Juvia reached the water front, finding Natsu staring out to the sea, the Tenrou Stadium standing proudly in the bay as the rain fell around it.

"Alright Natsu, we're here. What do you want?" Gray asked. "Oh yeah, and you owe me a drink." Natsu just laughed and looked back at the ocean.

"After this Gray? I don't think you'll think I owe you anything." Natsu leaned down and dipped his hand in the water, letting it fall through his hands." Ur was a great mage, wasn't she?" Gray practically froze as he heard Natsu's words, both figuratively and literally as his magic created ice particles on his skin, reacting to his agitation.

"Yes, she was. Is there a point to this Natsu?" he asked, all humour out of his voice. Juvia glanced between the two worriedly.

"Whenever I think of her, I always find myself in awe. She singlehandedly created a spell that could destroy one of Zeref's more destructive demons. She literally turned her mind, body, and soul into pure magic."

"I get it Natsu, she was amazing. I already knew this."

"You still don't get it though, do you? Anyone who performs the **Iced Shell** dies, right?"

"Yeah…"

"What if I told you that you were wrong."

Gray stared with wide eyes at his friend.

"You better start talking Dragneel. This has gone too far to be a joke."

Juvia looked at her beloved's (cause that's what he was, even if he didn't know it yet) eyes. She could see the anger there, but behind that was a shimmer of hope, like a ray of sun dancing in an icicle. As she stared she saw Natsu straighten up before looking directly at Gray. All his playful aggravation was gone, and its place stood a Natsu Juvia had never seen before, one that was older and wiser than the one she remembered.

"The only question Gray is if you want to talk to her. I won't lie, she isn't the same as before. She took a journey that almost none could, but through that path she came out different. So I'll ask one time. Do you want to talk to your Master, Ur"

"Yes." The answer was given with no hesitation, no fear, and Juvia could only wish for a dedication like that to be one day aimed at her.

Without another word Natsu faced the open sea, taking a step into the water.

"I, Natsu Dragneel, hereby request an audience with Ur, Master of the Cold Sea, Goddess and Demon of the Eternal Icefront. Heed the command of a Candidate to one of the Ancient Thrones, and come forth."

As the words left his mouth, a sudden chill swirled through the air. A gust of freezing wind blew over them, and before Gray's very eyes the entire bay froze solid. A small twister of ice and snow began on the ice, and from within a figure Gray knew too well stepped forth.

Ur.

She looked almost exactly the same, only her eyes and her clothes had changed at all. Her eyes were the same pale, icy white they had been the moment she cast **Iced Shell**. Her clothes, though in a similar style as she used to wear, were made of a silky white and blue material, like frost. She was ethereal, like she didn't belong on earth anymore. Her appearance was shocking, but nothing compared to the her _just being there_. Completely and utterly fine. The leg she lost was there, completely healed. As he stared at her, she didn't even see him off to the side. Her eyes were solely on the Dragon Slayer that stood in front of her.

" **Natsu. I thought I told you that you couldn't call on me for no good reason.** " Her voice carried power with it, a strength that called for an endless blizzard. Gray's own magic thrummed in response to the freezing presence around them.

"Yo! Ur! What's up? And don't you go lecturing me! Atlas already told me how I'm abusing my power and stuff. Oh, and guess what! We're participating in the Grand Magic Games this year! Woah, wait!" Natsu yelled as she opened her mouth to berate him, "I've got a present for you!"

" **A present? A present?! Natsu, I am a being of winter. What could a fire breathing dragon possibly have to offer me?** "

"How about your student?"

" **What are you talking abou –** " The words died at her lips as she turned to look in the direction Natsu was pointing. Her eyes, frozen as ice, began to melt with tears. Slowly, the colour Gray remembered flowed back into them. She opened her mouth again, and slowly she spoke.

"Gray…" Her voice resonated through Gray again, but this time instead of pulling at his magic it pulled at his mind, memories of his master filling his head as she said that one simple word. He felt a nudge from behind him, Juvia pushing him forward. He hesitated for a second, but as a second "Gray?" filled the air he couldn't take it anymore. He bolted forward and enveloped her in a hug, crying into her shoulder. He couldn't remember a time he had been so happy, a time he had been so free.

Juvia stood, watching him cry into Ur's shoulder as she cried too, a smile splitting her face. She looked at Natsu, who shrugged.

"They came back. It took them a while, but they came back. You guys have stuff to deal with, right?"

"I think so. Thank you Natsu." A smile was all the response she received.

"Alright, I'm going to go find Lucy. She should be back at the guild by now. At least, I hope so. The rains getting pretty bad now." With that he turned and began to leave, Juvia following. But, when they reached the edge of the beach he stopped.

"Stay." The word was spoken softly, but with an authority Juvia once again never would have attributed to Natsu. "He needs you more than you think Juvia. More than he is willing to admit. Just trust me, okay?" She mutely nodded her head, and he laughed before continuing onward.

Back at the beach, Gray was just drying the tears out of his eyes as Ur, who looked completely human now, looked him up and down.

"You've grown up so much."

"I've been through a lot since you last saw me Ur. Me and Lyon both."

"I know, I spoke to Lyon not too long ago. He was very hurt by your loss, though the chances of him saying so now are slim. We both mourned you, but I'm so glad we were wrong."

"It doesn't hurt to be wrong sometimes, that's how we learn."

"Gray! You were listening all those years ago then? Glad to know not everything I said was lost on those frozen ears."

"It's not our fault you made us train in the cold! Speaking of, why were you so… frozen earlier?" Ur looked at him, before glancing in the direction that Natsu left.

"How much has he told you?"

"Natsu? Not much, but he said he'd tell us soon."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. And who is your friend?" Ur asked, gesturing to the blue haired girl trying (and failing) to hide behind a large rock.

"That's Juvia." A sly look crossed Ur's face.

"Oh? Juvia, huh? Well dear, why don't you come and listen too?" She gestured and a few chairs made of ice formed. "And I'll tell you how I lived." Juvia complied, and a few minutes later they were all comfortably shielded from the rain.

"Okay. Where to begin? I guess it all begins with the water. After using myself for fuel in **Iced Shell** , I felt like I was falling asleep. It was peaceful, relaxing, but it was also temporary. Not long after I fell into this 'dream' I began a battle of survival. I fought the will of Deloria, fought to destroy him before he could ever be freed. We fought for an eternity, until one day I felt different. It wasn't long after that I was pulled from the 'dream' and was thrown once again into unconsciousness. When I woke up this time, the first thing I could feel was water. An endless amount of water. When Lyon melted me that day, I flowed into the sea, and there my magic flourished. I simply existed, storing magic energy, unaware of my surroundings. After years of being one with the ocean, I was reborn. What do you two know of the Ancient Races?"

"The what?"

"Juvia has heard of them, but only in passing."

"Well, to put it simply, Dragons, Gods, and Devils are what you would call Ancient Races, species that ruled their own realm."

"Realm?"

"Earthland belonged to the dragons, Celestia to the Gods, and the Underworld to the Devils. Of course, there are other realms, like the Celestial Spirit World, and Edolas, but they are different."

"What happened?"

"…"

"Ur?" She looked at him and gave a sad smile.

"Zeref happened. He was ruled by righteous intent, but he called the attention of a certain God upon himself. Ankhseram, God of contradictions. Ankhseram was an outcast, born of the forbidden love of a God and a Devil. They were put to death for their relation with each other, and from the powers released he was formed. The Devil of Life and the God of Death. He cursed Zeref, but he did not see the repercussions of his actions, he couldn't see what was to become. With an immortal on earth, the balances that the Ancient Races had set began to unravel. I won't get into specifics, but due to Zeref's presence, Dragons broke into war. Earthland, what was once neutral ground, became a warzone. After the carnage settled, the Dragons were almost completely gone. At that point, the Gods and Devils saw that what their presence could do to the world, and they retreated to their realms. They still interfere sometimes, when they are summoned mainly, but for the most part they leave this world alone."

"Juvia is wondering what the point of this story is?"

"It's very important, because it describes what happened to me. One of the ways that Devils continued to influence the world was through demons, created by Zeref. Zeref was trying to accomplish something, something I do not know, but in order to do this he practiced by creating demons known as etherious. He created their bodies by using enchanted paper as an anchor, then summoned demonic energies from the Underworld to bring shape to his creations. These were the Demons from the Books of Zeref. Deloria was one of these, as you know. So, when I was destroying the presence of Deloria, I was also exposing myself to the demonic energies that made his being. When I was reborn in the water, a certain being visited me. Her name was Chione, a Goddess of Ice. She had watched my growth she said, and she didn't want me to become a demon, which I would have if I had been left alone. So instead, she did something to me to stop the process. I became a bit of both, part God and part Demon."

"Like Ankhseram?"

"No, nothing so extreme. I suppose you could think of me like an angel when compared to the Gods. I am powerful, no doubt, but I still pale when compared to the strongest of the Ancient Races. However, my title is still Demon and Goddess of the Eternal Icefront, as I was given the Icefront to guard while here on Earthland."

"Wait, Ur. You said that the demons of Zeref were created from books. Does that mean…"

"Sadly, yes. While I destroyed his physical form, and drained him of nearly all of his energy, without destroying his book we cannot truly say that Deloria is gone."

Gray fell to his knees. Silently, Ur kneeled to his right, and Juvia, whom Gray hadn't heard return, knelt to his left.

"I'm sorry Gray."

"Juvia is too."

Slowly, the rain let up, the afternoon sun peeking through the clouds. Gray looked up at the light, and was oddly reminded of the day that he decided to come to Fiore, despite the difference of weather. A new beginning, maybe that was it.

"It's okay guys. I know what I have to do." He stood, helping Juvia get up as Ur did on her own. He turned to Ur and bowed his head.

"Master, I swear that I will find and destroy Deloria. I don't care how long it takes, I will freeze his book and shatter it. If he comes back I will stop him, and I will fight until the end to do so." Ur looked at him in surprise, then with a hard stare.

"You realize what this means Gray? You will have to fight many powerful people to get to Deloria, and right now you are nowhere near strong enough."

"I know Ur, but I need to try!"

"That's all I needed to hear," she said with a smile. "I have a proposition for you, both of you. Natsu said that you'll be fighting in the Grand Magic Games, yes?"

"Yeah…"

"How long till that starts?"

"We have almost exactly three months before we need to be back here in Magnolia."

"Good. How would you like to train with me then? I can't take you for long, but a couple months should be more than enough time to teach you what I want to. We'll train at the Eternal Icefront, and by the end of your training, you won't even remember how weak you are now!"

Gray stood for a second before his mind caught up to the shock he was feeling. All at once he felt the world rush out of focus then rush back in.

"YES! Of course! Juvia, what do you think?" he asked, grabbing Juvia's hand.

Ur couldn't help but snicker. She couldn't! It was too funny to watch the young girl's face go beet red as she stuttered out a response that sounded something like a yes. Honestly, did Gray not even realize what he was doing to the poor thing?

"Alright then! Meet me back here tomorrow at noon, and we'll leave from there. Any more questions?" Gray shrugged and smiled. He felt like a little kid again.

"What kind of magic will you be teaching us?" he asked excitedly.

"Ha, like I'd tell you that! I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Okay, tomorrow then." Gray said.

With that being said she turned and began walking back onto the ice, a swirling blizzard forming around her, hiding her from view. Her voice rang out over the winds, and Gray laughed.

"Don't be late!"

With that the winds receded, leaving an unfrozen harbor behind. Gray and Juvia stood there for a minute, before Gray turned to Juvia.

"Well, we should probably get back to – WOAH, JUVIA! ARE YOU OKAY?"

Juvia's face was still very red, and she was babbling random words as she stood beside him.

"Gray-sama, hand, love, hand, beloved, mine, holding mine!" Gray looked down. His hand was still holding hers from when he had grabbed it.

"WAAAAAH! I'M SORRY!" He turned and let go. "I didn't mean to!"

"Gray, beloved! Why did you let go!?"

Before he could answer a loud, fake, robotic voice echoed across the town.

"ATTENTION ALL FAIRY TAIL MAGES. PLEASE RETURN TO THE GUILD HALL NOW. YOU ARE BEING CALLED TO BE REFORMED ABOUT – OWWW!"

"You baka, its informed!" Lisanna's voice cut over the announcement.

"Sorry?" Natsu's now non-robot voice said.

"Ugh, sometimes Natsu. Alright, you heard the baka! Get on down here for some news! That's all!"

The sound cut out as Natsu began to complain, and Gray smirked. Leave it to one of the girls to put that fire head into his place.

"Lets get going Juvia!"

"Okay beloved Gray!"

And with that they ran towards the guild.

••••••••••••••••••••••

LINE BREAK

••••••••••••••••••••••

 **A Dragon's Nest**

Wendy had to admit, it was a nice apartment.

"So, this is where you'll be sleeping!" Liz had announced loudly, showing off the empty room. It was fair sized, and had a large closet. The only problem was…

"Um, I don't have any furniture."

That lead them to where they were currently, walking through the rain with a small trove of boxes behind them. They had been shopping for hours, and Wendy didn't know how much more she could take. So far each of the girls, Carla included, had managed to buy at least ten dresses. They had gotten battle gear too, and had even went grocery shopping before FINALLY arriving at the furniture store.

Only to be pulled into the weapons store they were in currently.

"Ooo, look at this one!" Hisui squealed. In her hands was a long spear, carved with constellations in the shaft. Apparently, being Jellal's apprentice had started with weapon training before anything else.

"I dunno Hisui, I'm liking these ones!" Liz was holding a pair of brass knuckles with little spikes on them, lightning crackling between them.

"What about this one?" A sword made of some sort of fire.

"Natsu would eat that before I got to use it! What about this?"

"No, this!"

The two were running around the store, and Wendy could hardly take it anymore. She looked over at Carla, hoping to find someone to take solace from the chaos in front of her, only the cat looking at a thin rapier on the wall.

"I wonder if they can make this resizable?"

"Carla?" Wendy questioned. Said Exceed turned around quickly.

"Yes dear?"

"What are you doing?" The cat looked sheepish for a moment before answering.

"Well, with Happy fighting now, and Lily already being so strong, I figured that I could probably learn to fight as well."

"Finally, the cats are getting some guts!" Wendy spun at the sound of the voice.

"Laxus?!"

"What's up pipsqueak?" he asked with a shrug.

"W-w-hat are you doing here?" Wendy asked with a slight stutter. She didn't really know Laxus all that well, but she did know he was scary strong.

"Looking for that brat." He replied, pointing at Liz (who was currently being yelled at by the shopkeeper for eating a lightning lacrima he had been trying to sell).

"How come?"

"I don't know, I'm bored? The Thunder Legion is planning on doing a training trip, but I don't really think I need to help. Besides, my magic is calling out to protect her, probably because she's the royal kind of my magic or something."

"Oh. Okay."

They stood in silence before it was interrupted by a snicker from Laxus. Wendy's eyes widened as she looked at the stoic mage. Laxus' eyes were wide in horror as he realized where the sound had come from. He glared down at the Sky Dragon Slayer and growled slightly.

"Not a word to _anyone_ , got it?"

"Y-y-y-yes sir!" Wendy said with a small salute. Curious (and scared to keep looking at Laxus), she glanced in the direction he had been looking when he… sniggered. Wendy sighed lightly, making sure Laxus didn't notice. Even thinking it was too rebellious for her. What she found where Laxus was looking sent a giggle through her as well though.

" _What do you two think you're_ _doing_?" Erza asked, her Purgatory Armour equipped and looming dangerously above the two previously arguing mages. Off to the side Jellal was looking at the scene fondly.

"Here I was, enjoying some strawberry cake across the street, when this commotion interrupted my delicious snack! Not only that, but this happens to be one of my favourite stores. Now, I'll repeat myself slowly," She said, her sword now in between the two girls, "What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing?"

Jellal walked over to the pair of slayers as Erza interrogated the two other mages.

"Hello Laxus, Wendy. What are you two doing here?"

"I was shopping with them and Carla."

"Oh, and where is Carla?"

"Umm, I'm not sure."

"I'm right here child." Carla said as she walked out of the back of the store, a black rapier with the Fairy Tail symbol etched into the hilt at her waist. "I decided on this one."

"It looks wonderful Carla!" Wendy cried. Jellal and Laxus both nodded in agreement

"And you Laxus?" Jellal asked.

"None of your business." Jellal smirked and looked at the girls, who were now paying the owner of the store for the stuff they broke while arguing, on the threat of a severe beating from Erza if they didn't.

"Oh? Not here to look over a certain Thunder Dragon Slayer?"

"She doesn't need me to babysit her. She's plenty strong."

"I didn't ask if she needed it sparkplug."

"What was that punk?"

"Ehem! Are you two planning on fighting?" Erza asked, walking towards the group with Hisui and Liz following dejectedly.

"No!" The two said. Even if they both were sure they could take her in a fight, neither really wanted to get on her bad side (though for different reasons).

"Good. Now, it looks like the rain has stopped, so we should be able to leave without our stuff getting wet now."

Jellal opened his mouth to respond, Hisui looking like she wanted to ask something as well, but as they did a loud sound broke through the air.

"ATTENTION ALL FAIRY TAIL MAGES. PLEASE RETURN TO THE GUILD HALL NOW. YOU ARE BEING CALLED TO BE REFORMED ABOUT – OWWW!"

"You baka, its informed!" Lisanna's voice cut over the announcement.

"Sorry?" Natsu's now non-robot voice said.

"Ugh, sometimes Natsu. Alright, you heard the baka! Get on down here for some news! That's all!"

The group looked at each other for a moment before Liz jumped up.

"RACE YOU GUYS!" And with that she sprinted off, lightning sparking off her feet as she did. Hisui looked enraged for a moment before summoning Raziel.

"Catch her!" She yelled as she hopped onto his back.

Meanwhile, Laxus smirked as he turned into lightning and shot off after them.

" **Meteor.** "

" **Requip: Flight Armour!** "

And with that the other two were off as well. Carla sighed, before adjusting her new sword and generating her wings.

"Never underestimate a Fairy Tail mage's competiveness. Come child, we don't want to be late." Then she too was gone. Wendy stared in the direction that they all had shot off in.

"But… I still don't have any furniture…"

••••••••••••••••••••••

LINE BREAK

••••••••••••••••••••••

 **The Meeting of Fairies**

Atlas stood at the front of the guild as the members began to trickle in. The announcement had been made a few minutes ago, but the two had yet to return from the announcement room. He decided that if they weren't down in the next three minutes he would go up after them. This was there announcement after all.

"Hey, Atlas Flame!" He turned at the sound, finding the one that smelt of metal approaching him.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"You're a dragon, right? Have you heard anything about an Iron Dragon named Metalicana?" Gajeel asked, Levy standing there with him.

"Of course I have. I saw him not two years ago." Atlas replied. So, this was one of the dragon slayers Natsu had mentioned.

"What? Where is he?"

"I don't know. It's been two years. He's probably hiding. That's what you do when you have a psychopath after you."

"A psychopath?" Levy asked.

"You've met him, on Tenrou. A monster amidst monsters. Acnologia."

"Oh, him." Her voice had grown small, and Atlas turned his head to look at her more directly.

"I apologize. I did not mean to be so direct. Do not be afraid for your father Gajeel. Metalicana is not his main target at the moment, nor is he being actively hunted. Also, I want to let you know that there wasn't anything you could have done. Even among Dragons, Acnologia only has one true equal, as well as one who is quickly becoming a target."

Levy smiled and nodded, while Gajeel just huffed. As they finished their talk, Atlas heard another sound coming down the stairs. Natsu and Lisanna had returned. Natsu waved and quickly walked over to Lucy and Happy, speaking with them quietly. Lisanna walked over to Atlas and smiled.

"Hey Atlas! What's up?"

"Hey, why do you smell like charcoal?" Gajeel asked. Lisanna abruptly turned to him, eyes wide, cheeks red.

"Oh, Gajeel! What are you doing here?"

"You called us. Now answer the question."

"Gajeel! Don't be mean!" Levy said.

"Shush shorty, this is too good."

"If I may," Atlas interrupted, "I believe her and Natsu were, as humans put it, 'making out'."

Lisanna turned on him this time, her whole face going red in embarrassment.

"ATLAS!"

Levy had a sly smirk on her face, and poked the blushing take-over mage.

"Just wait till your sister hears about this!"

"NO! Please, not that!" Lisanna begged. She had gotten enough of that as a kid, she didn't need it now.

"Why are you teasing her?" Atlas asked, "You smell just as much of iron as she does of fire."

Levy went red this time.

"Well of course she does! We were –" Gajeel's voice was cut off as Levy covered his mouth with her hands.

"Shut up baka!"

"Hey everyone! Why are Levy and Lisanna red?" Natsu said as he walked up.

"It's nothing!" The girls yelled in unison.

"Woah," Natsu said, hands up in surrender, "Okay. I believe you. So, let's get this over with."

Atlas looked over the crowd as Lisanna, Levy, and Gajeel went and sat down. To quiet the crowd, he let his magic slip into the air, exerting an incredible pressure on the room for a moment. Natsu nodded at him before he spoke.

"Thanks Atlas. Alright! Hey everyone! First off, we're meeting like this too often. But, as to why we called you all here, we wanted to talk about training. Master Makarov, Lisanna, and the other S-class mages have agreed to train the guild in combat over the next two months, then the special training starts! Dragon Slayers, you will be training with me and Atlas for the last month."

"Only a month?" Laxus asked.

"We have some business that we have to take care of, that can't be done here. Liz, before you explode, that's when we'll test you, so train hard. As for the rest of you, this is when we'll be calling in some friends to help train you all as well. If you're strong enough by then, we have a technique that can increase your power as well, offered by a friend of Jellal's. Now, if you have any questions, ask them now, because me, Atlas, Jellal, and Gildarts are leaving tonight, so we won't be able to answer your questions."

"What if we're not going to be here?"

"You can do whatever you want for the first month Gray, I know you're leaving tomorrow. For all I care you guys can party every day, or go on a thousand jobs, but when we get back the real training begins, so be ready. Now, if that's everything, good luck!"

With that he hopped off the stage and walked over to his team. Atlas followed and Jellal met them halfway there.

"You're leaving?" Lucy asked, looking at Gray.

"WE'RE leaving, love rival, and you can't do anything to stop Juvia's beloved." Juvia said, clinging to Gray's arm.

"Okay! I didn't mean it like that!" Lucy exclaimed, waving her arms to ward off the possessive water mage.

"So, what are you men leaving to do?" Erza asked. She was just a little bitter that she hadn't been invited. She was one of the strongest mages after all.

"Sorry Erza, we aren't trying to exclude you." Natsu said.

"The only reason we are allowing Jellal to accompany us is because he is capable of using his **Shin'en** **Release** now."

"If it weren't for that, I would not be able to keep up with what we're planning on doing." Jellal added.

"And what might that be?" Makarov asked as he approached the group.

Natsu sighed and looked at the master.

"Remember how Jellal got possessed?"

"Yes," Makarov said. The power he had released while possessed had been equal to his own, and he never wanted to be forced to see which one was more powerful.

"Did Lisanna tell who it was?"

"All she said was death. I will admit that even I have never heard of such an entity. Even if you could find death, is it possible to destroy it? Would you care to explain Natsu?"

"Capital D gramps. Death is a name. When Acnologia became the Dragon King all those years ago he found 4 dragons to serve as his heralds and champions. One their own they are some of the fiercest and most despicable dragons that exist, but together they represent a force that could destroy the world. Luckily, Acnologia is more interested in destroying the dragons that defy him than he is in destroying the world. The Heralds of the Apocalypse: Famine, Pestilence, Death, and War. That's their order from weakest to strongest too."

Natsu raised his hand as he finished, his fist igniting into his black and crimson flames, thunder crackling in the fire. Makarov wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a small amount of golden flames within as well. Natsu's eyes flashed dangerously as he continued,

"We have one goal for this mission. Find the Herald of the Apocalypse, Death, and kill him. He has destroyed too much, taken too many lives, and is a key player on Acnologia's side. We need him gone, and this is the only way we can. We will find him, defeat him, and using my sacred flames I will burn his corruption from the face of Earthland and send him to the hell he wants so badly to send us to."

 _This is it bastard_ , Natsu thought as he lowered his still flaming fist, looking at the group behind him, _Prepare for your END, cause he's coming for you._

"We'll see you in a couple months Gramps. Then we'll storm the Grand Magic Games, and Fairy Tail will be number 1 once again!"

They would see. All of them. He had faith in his guild, faith in his friends. They would make it to the top again.

But first, they had a dragon to slay.

* * *

 **Another chapter down! Hope you all enjoyed it. There's going to be a little bit of a time skip over the next chapter, but I'm not sure what I want to do for training. I think I'll write a few oneshots based on the training that I'm going to skip, then release those over the next little bit. They will just be little fun stories about the things that happen when their training, if I do it at all. Let me know if that sounds like a good idea in the reviews!**

 **If you didn't understand, the three stories all happen during the same day, and the fourth part is what happens after. Sorry if they were confusing, but thanks for sticking through it!**

 **Until next time, GlitchCrafter out!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello! So I was sorta bored this week, so I've finished the next chapter already! The story is really starting to get going now, introducing some of the deeper plot! It is a lot of fun to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it! Without** **further ado, here is chapter 6!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

Chapter 6

It was funny, Lucy thought, how quickly a couple months passed by. With Gray gone, and Erza spending all her time training and worrying over Jellal, Lucy had decided to do as many jobs as possible. She went on a few on her own, but mostly tagged along with other groups. Levy was happy to have her, though Gajeel complained throughout the entire thing. Apparently, he had wanted to spend his time training in the mountains, but Levy had said no. Hence the complaining. But, Lucy noticed, he never had a comeback for when they asked why he didn't just go.

Another odd group she went with was Liz, Hisui, and Wendy. Wendy had been joining them to get stronger, and the results were showing. While she wasn't on the same level as the other two by any means, she had easily caught up to Romeo's Fire Make skill. Lucy, however, had still been struggling. Her techniques were getting better, and her magic power was growing, but she was still too weak! Physically, she just couldn't keep up. Hisui had a similar problem, but she had her shield spells and her magic boosted her strength. Luckily, Lucy thought she had found a way around that, but she wanted to surprise everyone with it once she had perfected it.

And then there was the last group she had gone with. It had been one mission, only one job, but Lucy still couldn't believe that she was still alive. The job had been pretty simple, capture a man named Goldurock Fleetwood and bring him to prison. When Lisanna had asked to go on the mission with her, she had been glad. Not only did Lisanna want her help, but the reward was pretty good! Looking back, she should have been more suspicious.

Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, Lisanna, and Lucy. That had been the team for the _SS-class mission_ they had invited her on. She still didn't know why they invited her. Fleetwood, as it turned out, practiced a kind of magic brought the dead back to life. With the 4 S-class mages fighting he hadn't stood a chance. His curses, as he called his magic, couldn't stop them, but unfortunately the landscape hadn't stopped them either. What had once been a mountain was now a smoking crater, something she probably shouldn't have survived. The only benefits to the trip had been the amount of money she had received, and to see the cool magic of her guildmates. Mira had used her Satan Soul Sitri, while Laxus had grown scales on his arms and caused a small storm. Those were cool, but the other two took the cake for Lucy.

Erza had donned a new set of armour, one that was impressive to say the very least. It had been a dark blue, slim, and came with a single sword. The armour was lined in red runes, lining the edges of the armour, and thrummed with magic. The sword was gold and bright, a star forming the shape of the hilt with more runes running down the golden blade. The Fallen Star is what she called it. Lucy didn't ask, but Erza had launched into an explanation how Natsu and Jellal had made it to commemorate her magic and to help Jellal move on.

Lisanna had pulled out her second strongest take-over, the Flare Fiend. Another dragon like creature, the Flare Fiend used sunlight to power its flames, which burned hot enough to melt some metals. It looked a little scary though, with armour like bones covering her body. The bones had been black, like charcoal, and where cracks formed on them bright orange flames leaked out. Skeletal, dragon like wings sprouted from her back, the fire itself forming the membrane between the bones.

Either way though, Lucy was way, waaaay out of her league. She spent her time simply trying to live through it. It was nice to see Lisanna and Mira fight together though… they had seemed happy.

There was one other thing too. On their way back, Erza had decided that they should stop by a marketplace to buy some supplies, which meant she had probably smelled some cake. It was a fairly large market, so they had spilt up, planning on meeting up later. Soon Lucy had found herself wandering the streets of the town, listening to the peaceful sounds of nature as she walked by a small park near the center of town, a few stalls being set up on the other side of the street.

"WATCH OUT!" a voice broke the serenity of the situation, and Lucy instinctively threw herself to the side, having gotten quite used to dodging random objects flying at her just by going to the guild hall. She had never had to dodge a cart though.

"CRAP!" the same voice yelled out, and the cart flew right into a tree. A blur flew by her, and the person who had yelled jumped into the air, grabbing the contents of the cart (were those melons?) as they fell. They landed, balancing the fruits in their arms and even one on the top of their feet. Or rather, his feet, Lucy amended after taking a closer look. She ran forward and began taking fruits and putting them one of the many baskets that fell out of the cart as well.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The blonde guy looked at her and smiled, an infectious grin.

"This? This is nothing."

"That's good. THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" The guy fell over at her scream, luckily without any fruits hitting the ground as Lucy had just taken the last one from him.

"What?!" he sputtered from the ground.

"What the hell were you doing to send a cart flying down a hill?!"

"I wasn't doing anything!"

"Yeah, right. It just started to roll all by itself."

"Well, no..."

"Then what did you do?"

"It wasn't _my_ fault! I was reaching for one of the fruits and my partner pushed me!"

"So you hit it hard enough to push it down the hill?"

"Hehe, yeah," he said, his hand going behind his head to rub the back of his head guiltily. Lucy stared as he did, reminded of another person who did that quite often. She shook her head and smiled.

"I guess that's alright, no one got hurt." She said. He grinned back, his slightly sharpened teeth forming a grin Lucy could have sworn she'd seen before.

"Alright!"

"HEY!" a voice yelled from the distance, "Where'd you go?"

"Sounds like my partners are looking for me! Hey, are you going to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games?"

"Yeah?"

"So am I, so I'll see you there, kay?" And with that he ran off, towards the sound of the yelling.

"Wait! My names Lucy!" She yelled after him. He turned and looked back, waving over his shoulder as he replied.

"Nice to meet you Luce! I'm Sting!" And with that he was gone.

Among other exciting jobs and such, that led Lucy to the last day until Natsu returned. It had been just over a month, and the group that had left with Natsu was due back anytime. So they waited, the Dragon Slayers especially, for the bells to ring and signify their return. The guild was ready to party, ready to cheer as their strongest came back home. Erza and Lisanna were happier than they had been in the previous two months, and Lucy couldn't help but be excited to see them walk through the doors.

They would need to wait another week before that would become a reality, and it was far from the happy reunion they thought it would be.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Ten jewel they come back today." Macao said, looking at his empty glass. Him and Wakaba had been making the same bet for the past week now.

"You still owe me ten jewel from yesterday."

"Well, I'll make it twenty then!"

"Yeah right, you don't even have twenty jewel to your name."

"Will you two shut up already!" Liz yelled. "Your stupid bets are getting annoying!" Liz was tired of all the waiting. Truth was, she wasn't a very patient girl. Hisui was much better at the whole sitting around thing, but even she seemed a little worried.

"I'm sure they're fine," Carla said from her seat. She had one paw on her hip, were her sword was resting. Over the past two months she had almost mastered her transformation, to the embarrassment of Lily and Happy, who had both taken the better part of a year to master their own. She was also getting a lot better with her rapier, though the other two Exceeds were still much better.

"Yeah!" Wendy added, "They probably just got lost or something!"

"I could see that happening." Erza chimed in.

"Jellal wouldn't have gotten them lost though," Hisui said. The group stopped talking as the door was thrown open. The entire guild spun and looked, ready to finally see the group return.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!"

Only to groan as Gray and Juvia walked in. Gray looked around with a frown on his face,

"What? Are we not good enough?"

"Aye sir! You can be kind of useless sometimes." Happy said as he flew by.

"Stupid cat!" Gray yelled. Erza waved him over, and he and Juvia walked across the hall.

"Well Gray? Did you train hard?"

"You bet Erza! Can't wait to take you on!"

"We'll see Gray. Perhaps I will get to show my new armours."

"Juvia has gotten stronger too!" Juvia said, holding out her hand. Water spiralled up, forming into the sharp shape. Suddenly, the water froze, and a jagged looking icicle remained.

"Juvia is not good at controlling ice, but now she can freeze it at will! They make very good projectiles, and they show Juvia's dedication to her beloved!" Juvia said, loudly announcing the last part.

"Don't worry Juvia," Lucy said, sweat-dropping, "We know."

Soon Gray was regaling them with his stories from the Eternal Icefront, which was, as he described it, as beautiful as heaven but as deadly as hell. It was a full battle fort made entirely of ice, complete with a castle in the center of it all. Its purpose was to serve as the defense of an Astral Point, one of the few places on Earthland that could act as a gate to the Underworld or Celestia. The beings that lived there, snow wraiths, were cold and distant, and their master was even more so. His name was Jokül, embodiment of the hate and rage of ice. He was also Gray's sparring partner.

"It was rough, but really cool at the same time."

"Juvia agrees. It was hard work to keep up with Ur, but she was able to teach Juvia so much!"

"Well, we're good to have you back," Erza said, with everyone agreeing.

"So where's Natsu?"

"That, we do not know." Makarov said from the bar. He was standing there, a drink in hand. "We can only hope that they will arrive soon."

"I'm sure that they'll be here soon," Levy said, looking at the Master, "right Master?"

"Of course."

They didn't know how right they were.

••••••••••••••••••••••

A few hours had passed since Gray had returned, and nothing notable had happened. Some wanted to know what Gray had learned, but he was adamant to keep it hidden until he fought Natsu again.

Luckily, depending on your perspective, he didn't have to wait much longer. The group had just finished their lunch when a roar could be heard across the town. It shook the guild building, the ground, and every shop in Magnolia. A second roar answered the first, just as powerful as the last.

"Quickly!" Erza yelled, "We must defend the town is necessary!" Pushed out of their shock, the guild began to rush out of the doors to the cliff behind the guild. Years later they would still tell the story of what they saw. Coming quickly from the sea was the end of the world they thought they knew.

Two dragons, approaching at incredible speeds. They flew through the air, one roaring at the other seemingly keeping the second one awake as every few moments it dropped in altitude. Falling from its side was a fiery liquid, which in shock Lucy realized must be blood.

The first dragon seemed to be made entirely of flames, a burning skeleton. It was terrifying to behold, devilish in appearance.

 _That must be Atlas, a Hellfire Dragon if I've ever seen one_.

The second, injured dragon was another case entirely. If it weren't for the intense power she could feel from the flowing blood from its side, and the strength she could see in its form, she would say it was a beautiful sight. It was black in colour, with glowing crimson flame symbols on its legs, similarly glowing red lines connecting them. Its eyes glowed crimson as well, and as it got closer she could see the obsidian scales individually reflecting the sunlight. It was leaner than Atlas, and smaller than Acnologia had been, but she could feel the power flowing from the sleek dragon. Its black claws looked wicked sharp, and its teeth even more so. Up close it was more amazing than she had initially thought. It was also more injured than she had thought. Its side had a massive gash in it, its wing was torn in many places, and similar gashes, bite wounds, and blast marks covered its body. It was barely flying, seemingly intent on reaching the land. She looked over at her friends to see if they were as amazed as she was, but her sights focused on Lisanna as she glanced over. The white haired girl was in tears, staring at the dragon as it struggled to remain airborne for the last stretch. Looking back to the approaching dragon, she noticed something rather important, which was confirmed a moment later by a resounding shout. The black dragon wasn't slowing down.

" **GET BACK!** " Atlas screeched, his voice nearly the same as when he was human, but layered with an intense power.

"Go! Go!" Makarov yelled, "He's going to crash!"

That did it. Immediately, the members began to rush back to the hall, most using magic to speed up their trip. The black dragon was truly falling now, his energy spent, and Atlas was too far to be of much help.

"Lucy!" Erza yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as the dragon approached the ground.

" **Requip: Adamantine Armour!** " A glowing seal appeared before them, blocking the guild as the dragon slammed into the ground, a cry of "NO!" splitting the air as the resultant shockwave shook the ground and the air rushed against the seal, pushing Erza back a few feet.

" **Ice Make: Glacial Wall!** " A wall of ice erupted in front of them, adding to the shielding that Erza had already put up. The ice wall cracked before the blast was done, but held, so no damage was done to the Guild. A few moment later the ice melted as Atlas Flame landed in a twister of fire. As the fire disappeared, Atlas remained on the ground, now in human form. Other forms were there as well, and as they approached, Lucy could see just how injured they were. Gildarts was missing his prosthetic arm, and was covered on gashes. His left eye was swollen beyond belief, and his right leg was bloody and covered in makeshift bandages. Jellal was no better off. He wasn't wearing a shirt, for his chest was covered in bandages that seemed to be made of his old garment, and he had more strips of cloth wrapped around his head. One of his legs looked hurt, maybe broken, and he was clutching his arm painfully too. Lucy couldn't stop staring at the bloody duo, two of the strongest mages she knew. Atlas approached, holding Jellal up as the Heavenly Body Mage limped along.

"Take him." Atlas' voice cut through the horrified silence that hung in the air, and instantly three things happened. First, Makarov began yelling for people to return indoors, for someone to get Porlyusica, and to prepare the infirmary. The second thing was Gray, Cana, and Erza rushing forwards, helping Atlas support Jellal and in Gray and Cana's case helping Gildarts. And the third? Lisanna shot off, sprinting towards the crater that had been formed. Atlas looked at them all and sighed. Of the three he looked the best off, only having a small amount of wounds, but Lucy could see a few larger gashes on him that seemed to be sealed shut with fire.

Makarov looked over the group and shook his head. Slowly he approached Atlas, looking and feeling older than he had in long time.

"Atlas. It has been a long time since my children have come home with such injuries. What happened?"

"There will be time for stories after Makarov. If you have this handled, I must go and help Lisanna."

"And what is she doing?"

"Healing magic, most likely through her Flare Fiend Soul."

"I wasn't aware they were capable of healing."

"Usually no, but as you probably noticed, we are healing a fire dragon."

"Atlas?" Atlas looked over as Lucy spoke up. "Where's Natsu?"

"Lucy…" Makarov started.

"I believe your master has figured it out little fairy, so you are welcome to ask him. It won't remain a secret for long. I must be joining the healing process." Turning he ran towards the now smoking crater.

A sniffle drew her attention, and looking down Lucy saw Wendy crying.

"Are you okay Wendy?"

"What sort of question is that?" A rough voice said. The majority of the guild had gone indoors now, including a devastated Makarov, to look after the two highly injured S-class mages. However, Gajeel had apparently remained outside, Liz as well.

"What?"

"C'mon Bunny Girl, use your head here. Master isn't the only fairy to get it."

"What are you talking about Gajeel?"

"It's not like she can smell it Gajeel." Liz spoke up. Her voice was quiet, reserved. It was frightening. In the past few months that she had known Liz, she had never heard her be so quiet.

"Smell what? Not all of us are Dragon Slayers here!" Lucy cried out. She was starting to get annoyed.

"Lucy," Happy said, tears in his eyes, "It's Natsu."

Lucy hadn't seen the pink haired slayer anywhere, and she would have thought he would be the first one that anyone saw.

"Natsu! Where is he? I haven't seen him at all! Is he hurt?"

"Yes you have Bunny Girl. And of course he's hurt baka."

" _Lucy_. Natsu's here." Happy said quietly.

"But _where_?" Lucy asked. Wendy was the one who answered her, though not with words. Her hand raised shakily, pointing to the crater.

"What? Natsu's with the dragon? Is that Igneel?"

"No Lucy," Liz said, "Natsu isn't _with_ the dragon. He _is_ the dragon."

Lucy stopped, and she felt the ground shake as a massive blast of fire shot from the crater, followed by a roar of pain. Natsu's roar of pain.

"He's the dragon? How?!"

"That's something I want answered. How'd Salamander do it? Is that why he's so strong? What the hell is going on?" Gajeel asked, getting louder and more frustrated with each question.

"I can't tell you." Liz responded

"Can't tell us? Why not?"

"Because." Liz replied curtly.

"Why not Liz?" Wendy's voice was soft.

"I just can't."

"Wait," Lucy said as a thought popped into her mind. "If Natsu turned into a dragon, does that mean all of you are going to turn into dragons?" As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, as Wendy's eyes widened and tears came welling to the surface. Seeing her expression, Liz's face softened, and she sighed.

"No, not all of us are going to turn into dragons."

"What the hell is going on then?!"

"I already told you metal mouth, I CAN'T TELL YOU!"

"WELL WHY NOT?"

"Enough. She cannot tell you because she is under a binding oath." The word was spoken softly, but with power behind it. Turning, they saw Atlas standing there, the roars having tapered off while the two dragon slayers had been yelling at each other. He looked much more ragged then he had just minutes before, tired and beaten.

"Is…" Lucy stopped. She wanted to know, but couldn't help but fear the worst.

"He'll live. Lisanna is just working on finishing the healing right now, stoking his inner flame. It was close."

"What happened?" Liz asked, the note of panic gone from her voice as she heard the better news.

"It was a trap. I'll explain more inside."

"Shouldn't we wait for Natsu?" Wendy asked.

"He knows what happened little one. But, perhaps you would like to go help speed up the process? Sky dragons are renowned for their healing capabilities, and I've heard from Natsu that you are no exception." Wendy shuffled, embarrassed by the praise, before nodding quickly.

"Right!"

"Ask Lisanna to tell you what happened, I already gave her a brief overview."

"Okay. Do Gildarts or Jellal need any healing?" Atlas laughed in response.

"They may look terrible, but I have no doubt that Porlyusica will have them up and about in a couple days. She is a great healer, even for those of us who are not human. Perhaps even more so," he said with a chuckle. "Their wounds were serious, but so long as they receive some basic treatment they won't become worse."

"Alright. I'll be back with Natsu and Lisanna in no time!" Wendy said before rushing off into the crater.

"Now, let us go indoors. I have no reservations that your Master will want to hear the tale.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The guild hall was in a state of muteness when they entered. Makarov was sitting at the front, eyes closed, but the rest of the mages were shooting glances at the infirmary. Atlas cleared his throat, and almost at once the entire guild looked his direction.

"Atlas. While I am glad that everyone survived, I cannot take the injuries of my children lightly. What happened?"

"It was a hard fight Makarov, one that took everything we had." The Master turned and looked at the entrance to the medical wing, gasping as he saw the man limping through it.

"Gildarts! Are you feeling okay? Why are you up?"

"With all due respect Master, we both know I've faced much worse. Porlyusica said I was alright to move," he said before looking at Atlas, "How's the kid?"

"Alive." Gildarts sighed, letting the tension flow out of him .

"Thank goodness."

"Can someone tell us what happened?" Gray asked impatiently. The entire guild was in the hall now, sans Erza, Wendy, and Lisanna.

"Then we can answer some other questions too." Gajeel added bitterly, causing Levy to look at him worriedly.

"Well Makarov? You are master here."

"If you would Atlas."

"As you know, we set off to find and kill one of the four Heralds of the Apocalypse, Death. With the four of us we believed we could overpower him. In fact, last time we clashed with him, Natsu and I were able to nearly kill him. We found him after nearly a month of searching We thought we had him cornered, and after a month of searching. We chased him for the next month, until less than two days ago. We thought we had cornered him, driven him to desperation. We were deceived. Lying in wait were two more of the deadly Heralds. As we entered the valley to finish him off, we were caught. What we had thought was chasing him down was him slowly making us complacent. Famine, the weakest of the four, had come behind us. On her own, Famine is not a terribly strong dragon. Her emerald green scales are softer than most, and her strength or speed is weak when compared to other dragons. I could defeat her on my own in a straight fight if I needed to. However, she is never alone. Her magic is that of a draining kind of magic, like a leech. She is named Famine because she drains the land and the creatures thereof of their energy, converting it into her own attack energy. So while her base strength is weak, her potential is immense.

"Before we had realized it she had drained the entire valley behind us, and let loose a tremendous roar. Fortunately, we noticed before it hit, and we were able to dodge. On the other hand, it also split us into two groups. Gildarts and myself were on one side of the valley, with Jellal and Natsu on the other. It was then that the second Herald we faced appeared. On our side of the valley Death came forth, his oily black scales reeking of the very thing he was named after. His attacks were all I could handle, for though I am powerful, I am not quite as strong as Death. However, I must also say I am impressed. I did not get a chance to say so in the heat of battle, but you Gildarts are truly an impressive human. I have never before seen a dragon, let alone a Herald, experience pain from a human's magic. In the past the only magic that could affect us, let alone injure us, was that of the Dragon's, God's, and Devil's."

Gildarts nodded his head and smiled.

"Give credit where it's due Atlas. I did very little in the grand scheme of things."

"Very well, but do not sell yourself short Gildarts. Despite the magnitude of our own battle, on the other side one just as fierce was taking place. Famine had begun to attack our companions. She was ferocious, and almost immediately I could sense Natsu and Jellal using their full strength just to remain alive.

"We fought like that for hours on end, never a break nor rest. Famine would rear her ugly head every once in a while, on our side, switching places with Death and sending waves of drained energy towards us to distract us. It was long fought, but the battle was slowly turning for our favour. Then _he_ arrived. War, the strongest of the Heralds. After witnessing Natsu's power, I am sure that in a one on one battle, he would eventually come out on top. Among the Dragons, he is praised as the third most powerful in our ranks. In fact, the only reason he didn't go out to deal with Death on his own was because he was afraid of being outnumbered, something we wished we had remembered.

"Yet, this wasn't one on one, nor was Natsu at his full strength after fighting for hours on end. War attacked with no mercy, his first attack would have killed us all of it weren't for Gildarts."

"I noticed the charge of energy, so I put all my power into my arms and tried to dispel it. The magic was too much for my prosthetic though, and it shattered. That's when I passed out."

"Jellal fell into unconsciousness mere moments later as various explosions rocked the remains of the valley. He was using Shin'en, quite well I might add, but the power was too much for him to handle. It was at that point that we fled. We flew fast and strong, but we were too tired to lose our opponents. It was then that Natsu turned around, tossing Jellal to me and claiming he would slow them down."

"What did he do?" Liz asked, riveted by the story. She had always loved hearing about her master's battles.

"I entered Stage 6 of Dragon Magic." A voice called out from the door that lead to the cliff. Once again the guild found them turning to face the door.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled out as he flew over to his oldest friend.

"Hey there buddy." Natsu was still a mess, his hair matted with blood, his shirtless chest covered in gashes and cuts, and his skin was pale, but no longer did blood flow from his side in a steady stream. He walked to the front, supported by Wendy and Lisanna, both of them with tears still in their eyes, and gave a weak smile to the three men at the front of the guild.

"Natsu, I am glad you're moving." Makarov said with a bright smile.

"Me too gramps. Anyways, the rest of the story is pretty simple. In Stage 6 I forced them to turn back, but before I had entered Stage 6 they got a few powerful shots off into my side and wings. All healed up now though, thanks to Lisanna, Atlas, and Wendy, but I am going to pretty weak for at least a day or two. After that we flew back, but as you saw I almost didn't make it."

The guild was quiet for a moment before Makarov turned to the rest of the guild.

"That was quite the tale. However sad it was though; we have nothing to mourn! Our team has returned, alive, so let us leave this grief behind! Let us celebrate, for now we have a reason to!"

The guild cheered in response, and just like that the drinks were circling the room. Natsu smiled as he watched.

"It never changes, huh bud?"

"Aye sir, never!" Happy said back, sitting down on Lisanna's head. But, before the four could do anything (as Lisanna and Wendy were still holding him up), a group of people surrounded them. All of the dragon slayers, Makarov, Gildarts, Levy, Lucy, and Gray (which meant Juvia too) sat him down at a table and looked at him intently.

"Umm, what's up guys?"

"What's up Salamander? I want to hear all about all this dragon stuff, now!" Gajeel said.

"Natsu, perhaps you can explain a few things for us?" Makarov offered.

Natsu sighed, looking around.

"Fine, but not here. Lets go to your office, okay gramps?"

Slowly they helped him and Gildarts up the stairs, eventually just having Makarov carrying them in his titan enlarged hands. Soon they were all seated in the Guild Master's office, and Natsu sighed as he sunk into one of the plushy chairs.

"Alright, I guess we'll start with what you guys know."

"Well," Gildarts started, "Liz told us there were 7 stages of dragon slaying magic."

"Close enough. Anything else?"

Makarov leaned forwards, "She also said that humans could only use the first 4."

"Is that it? What about you guys?" Natsu asked, pointing at the dragons slayers in the room. Gajeel shrugged.

"That's all I know too. Metalicana left before he could explain it too in depth."

"Alright, well you guys almost know the whole thing already anyways. Atlas?" The fire dragon nodded and began.

"The first thing you should be aware of is that you were wrong before. There are only three stages of Dragon Slayer Magic. However," he said as the group began to protest. "There _are_ 7 stages of Dragon Magic. Dragon Slaying magic only includes the first three of these stages."

Natsu nodded in agreeance.

"So, we all know the first stage, basic dragon slaying magic. The second stage is one that I really want to teach you all during our training this month, once I get a little stronger. This is the **Drive Incantation**. It will increase your power, and get you in tune with your element. The third and final stage of Dragon Slaying Magic is Dragon Force."

"Grandeeney mentioned that one to me!" Wendy said.

"She would have. And if it were it up to her, that would be the extent of your power."

"What?" Wendy cried. Natsu sighed.

"I'm sorry, that made her sound terrible, or evil. I promise she isn't. I'll get back to that Wendy. The point is, the next stage of Dragon is just that, Dragon Magic. Stage 4 doesn't have a real name, but it is the point where a Slayer is teetering on the edge, almost becoming one with their element."

"We knew that much Natsu." Gildarts said.

"I know, but I wanted it to all be clear. Now, Liz told you all that the farthest humans could go was stage 4, right? That is true."

"So…" Lucy said, "does that mean you aren't human?"

Natsu laughed. It started out a sort of huff, but quickly became long, hard, and very loudly. Eventually he calmed down enough to look up at the confused faces of all of his friends, except Atlas and Lisanna.

'I'm sorry Luce, but that question has a few levels of irony to it. Short answer is, no. I am not human any more. But, the truth is any human can reach Stage 5."

"But you just said -" Natsu didn't even let Levy finish her thought.

"I did. You see, there is a secret among Dragon Slayers, one that our parents never told us. The reason that humans can never use Stage 5 is simple. Once you reach that stage, you become something else."

Slowly, the dragon slayers' eyes widened in shock.

"You mean."

"Yup! At Stage 5, you give yourself to your element, and it changes you. You exceed all powers you had as a human and take your true form. You become a Dragon." The room, especially the dragon slayers, remained quiet. "Now, usually this process is natural. The more you use your Dragon Slaying Magic, the more you become like a dragon. Eventually, all dragon slayers become dragons. This process is called dragonification. Once you reach the magic maturity of a dragon, stage 5 activates for the first time, and you transform. Usually you get some traits of a dragon along the way, like wings, but those go away when you turn back into a human afterwards."

"So we're all going to turn into dragons?" Wendy asked.

"I already said no to that Wendy." Liz said, leaning down to sit next to the bluenette.

"Liz is right. We had an advantage that no others had. When our dragons were forced to leave us, they placed magic seals inside our bodies, preventing us from developing into dragons. Mine broke when Acnologia attacked Tenrou Island, awakening some of the latent powers inside me. So no, you won't become dragons of you don't want to."

"If we don't want to?" Gajeel questioned.

"Well, it _is_ a magic seal. If me and Atlas were to work together we could shatter it, but since it is inside your soul we would need permission. Igneel told me that since we trusted them without a doubt they could do it to us when we were kids, but it's different now that we're older. Now, without permission, no magic would be able to penetrate it. So yes, if you want to. However, before you say anything, you must know this comes with some consequences that won't only affect you. First, you will be dragon. You will be stronger, faster, better, but you will also live much, much longer. In all of history there has never been a dragon that died of old age. No one knows if they even age."

"Is that why you look the same? Even though it's been 5 years since you got free of Fairy Sphere?" Lucy asked.

"Yup! But, that not all." He looked over at Lisanna, and Lucy saw her nod. "You will also affect your mate. What do you all know about Dragon Mates?" This time Gajeel actually scoffed.

"I know this one. Metalicana wouldn't shut up about it. Dragon Magic is funny when it comes to mates. A dragon mates once, for life. Their magic knows who their soulmate is, far before they realize it for themselves." Natsu nodded before finishing the thought for him.

"A Dragon has one mate meant for them, one that is theirs forever. So, if you become a Dragon, your soulmate will be connected to you in a way like never before. Their magic will be boosted, yes, but not by a ton. The biggest thing is their lives will be tied to yours, meaning…"

"They too will be immortal when it comes to the passage of time." Makarov finished sadly.

"Exactly."

"Does this mean what I think it does?"

"It does," Lisanna said as she revealed her Guild symbol with the dragon wrapped around it. "This is the mark that appeared on my skin when Natsu fully became a Dragon."

"So you are…"

"Soulmates, yes." Lucy's eyes widened, remembering the conversation that she and Natsu had those two months ago. So THAT'S what he meant by _different._

"Anyways, that's probably the biggest difference."

"Wait," Gajeel said, all while avoiding eye contact with Levy (who was mildly blushing as she looked at Lisanna's mark then back to Gajeel), "Are we all going to be black dragons? Last time I checked, Fire Dragons were red, but you aren't."

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, laughing slightly.

"Yeah, I'm a little different. I have some other things that make me unique, the same reason I have those black flames mixed with my crimson ones. Its a long story, but you guys would be similar to your parents, though still different in some ways. So, back to the Magic, the last two Stages of Dragon Magic are very rare, and only available to a few select."

Atlas grumbled as Natsu said this.

"Oh shut it Atlas. Anyways, Stage 6 is also called the King's Transcendence. My magic is multiplied tenfold, and my physical form becomes more unstable. It's sort of like becoming one with my magic and power. Currently, I only know three other Dragons beside myself that can use this technique. Igneel, Valis, and Acnologia. As far as I know, you have to be of royal magic to do so."

"Quite impressive my child. Now what of the final phase?" Makarov asked.

"The last stage, Stage 7, is known as Ascension. Little is known about it, and very few Dragons know anything about it. The only thing I know is that it is not something you can be trained to master, it is something that exists already inside you."

"Wait, you said that not many Dragons know anything about it. So, why do you?" Levy asked.

"That is simple, he has that power. We do not know how, or why, but we know he has it. The gold flames that appear sometimes in his fire? That is the power of Ascension." Atlas said.

"Is that why Acnologia and the Heralds hate you so much?" Juvia asked, talked for the first time (surprising those that didn't see her enter the room).

"Well, not really," Natsu amended, "It's a little more complicated, but I can explain it simply. A few years ago, when me and Lisanna were on our journey, we met a man. He was tall, built like a mountain, and covered in blue tribal tattoos. His hair was dark blue, and his eyes were green. He didn't say his name, but claimed that we interested him. We talked tensely for a few minutes, and soon the topic of the Dragons came up. Rather abruptly, interrupting my question about Igneel too, he asked us what we thought of the current Dragon King, Acnologia."

"And what'd you say?" Gray asked, leaning in.

"What else would I say? I told him that if I could I'd kill the bastard. He doesn't deserve to be king of anything, let alone dragons. Hell, I'd make a better king." Atlas sighed.

"The exact words you used were 'I'd rather be King myself then let that scaly bastard continue being the King of Dragons.'"

"Which," Lisanna chimed in, "Was a stupid thing to say."

"This was before I had met Atlas, so I didn't know a lot about Dragon culture. "

"Natsu, you don't know a lot about any culture." Happy said.

"Not true!"

"Remember that time you got us arrested? You thought that you could buy a meal by scaring all the other stalls away, but you accidentally destroyed them!"

"That was fine, the merchants were just babies." Natsu said with a huff. "Their carts were only slightly burnt. Anyways, in Dragon Culture I had just made a claim to the throne. Usually Acnologia could just dismiss it, but since I'm Igneel's son he couldn't, since Igneel is the Fire Dragon King."

"Unfortunately, that guy we were talking to? The tribal tattoos guy? That was Acnologia in human form."

"NO WAY!" The group yelled, causing Natsu and Atlas to growl.

"Hey! Our heads hurt like hell here! And yes way, he had decided that he wanted to judge me as a new dragon before I unlocked my power. He was planning on killing us after we had talked, but since I made a claim his magic wouldn't let him kill me right off. Some thing about honour. He was pretty angry, but he told us calmly that next time we met he would kill me."

"Aye sir! Then he destroyed the mountain we were on with a punch and flew away!"

The group stared for a moment. The story they had just heard, all of that information, swirled around in their minds. Gray was the first to break free and turned to Natsu again, somewhat used to weird stuff after living with Ur for a couple months

"So that's what you were talking about when you summoned Ur? The whole Candidate of an Ancient Throne?" he asked.

"Yeah, that was it," Natsu replied, wincing as he scratched the back of his head. Noticing, Lisanna looked down at him with sympathy.

"Alright, I think that's enough. Natsu's going to need some time to rest if you all want to be trained by him in a few days."

Almost immediately the group of dragon slayers began telling him to go to bed, get some rest, and more. Natsu laughed and agreed, letting Gray and Lisanna help him up.

"One more thing," he said as he was leaving the room. "At the end of the month me and Atlas were planning on testing Liz. If she proves strong enough she wants us to remove the seal that prevents her from becoming a dragon. I know I made it out to be terrible, but there's plenty of benefits. Think it through, and if you want we can do it for you guys too. Well, not you Laxus, sorry, this is something only those directly exposed to pure Dragon Magic are affected by. Have a good couple days guys, cause as soon as these bandages come off its going to be Hell on Earthland for you guys."

"Natsu, when you're feeling better I want to fight you, okay?" Gray asked as they were leaving the room. Natsu laughed happily.

"If you can get me some grilled fish from the bar Gray, you got yourself a fight." Their laughter petered off as they left, going down the stairs. Atlas looked after them for a moment before excusing himself as to get some rest too. Makraov smiled as the friends walked off, Lucy excusing herself to join them. The group in the office sat for a few more seconds before Gajeel turned to Liz.

"So you want to be a dragon? What for sparky?" Liz, for once, didn't react to the jab and instead sighed before looking at Gajeel.

"It's funny, none of you questioned Natsu when he said that Igneel told him about the seal, and how he would need permission to break it."

"You mean, he didn't tell him that?" Wendy asked, confused.

"No, he did. The big part is _when_ he told him that."

Laxus' eyes widened fractionally and he smirked.

"The biggest reason I want to become a dragon is because once I do, I can see Mom again." Liz's voice was quiet, but it was impossible to miss the sound of longing in her voice. "The dragons had to leave because they wanted to protect us from Acnologia. Since we're just humans, he doesn't really care about us. But, if we were dragons, it wouldn't matter, we would be a part of their world. So yeah, I want to become a dragon, that way I can finally see her again. Natsu talks to her for me, when he sees her, but it isn't the same."

With that she left as well. Gildarts cleared his throat before standing and limping towards the door.

"Well, I'm beat. If someone wouldn't mind, could you guys drop by the Heart Kreuz armoury in town? I ordered some magically imbued prosthetics so I could use my Crash Magic in my other arm and leg without blowing them up, but I need to sleep too. Laxus! You look bored and I'm feeling like you won't break them, so you can do that."

"What?!"

"Laxus, go do it," Makarov said. Laxus turned and huffed as he walked out of the room, glaring at Gildarts as the man smirked at him. Makarov sighed and turned to the group of people that remained.

"Well? You have a few more days to yourself now. Go enjoy yourself with the rest of the guild, and be ready. You will only have about two weeks with him, so be ready to work hard. Now, go have fun!" He said as he kicked them out of the room.

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

"Aye Sir!"

"GET OUT HAPPY!"

* * *

 **Well, there's another chapter gone! I've got two more chapters planned before the Grand Magic Games begin! Next chapter, the last day off before some serious training begins! Plus, we get to see just how much Gray has grown as he faces off against Natsu!**

 **As always, feel free to leave a review! Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 7

**So I took a little time with this one. The chapter itself sort of bugs me, but I think I did alright. It is needed to set up a couple things for the future, but I'm sorry if its a little boring.**

 **Anyways, shout out to everyone who has followed, favourited, or reviewed! I had no idea that my little tale could ever be so popular, and I'm really pleased that you guys are enjoying the story. Well, here goes nothing! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Chapter 7

Lucy laughed as she walked down the street. The last night had been rather crazy, another massive party filling the guild. Somehow, half of her friends had ended up at her apartment again (and the only reason it wasn't all of them is because of the ones still in the infirmary). Today though they had decided to take a little shopping trip to a nearby town. It was her, Gray (which meant Juvia too), Natsu, Lisanna, the Exceeds, Wendy, the apprentices, Gajeel and Levy. Erza had stayed behind with Jellal, as he was still injured, and Gildarts.

"Wow! This is so awesome!" Lucy exclaimed. They had split up rather quickly when they had arrived, and this time Lucy had ended up with Hisui, Liz, and Wendy. The town they were in was more of a small city, the majority of the town being covered in various markets. This was their last day of freedom, and they were making the most of it. "If this is still just a town, I can't wait to get to Crocus!"

"It's not that amazing," Hisui said, looking into a shop briefly.

"Oh shut up Hisui, you're just upset cause last time we went with our masters Natsu got chased out for kidnapping you!" Liz laughed, "Now we only go back during the Grand Magic Games."

Hisui huffed before responding.

"We could go whenever we want!"

"We could, but we don't. The first time we tried you got embarrassed!"

"You asked by to bring me to my favorite restaurant, then ate with your hands! With your HANDS. That was one of the fanciest restaurants in all Fiore, of course I was embarrassed!"

"Still don't get why though. I mean, you don't get mad when I do it on missions." Liz grumbled.

"It's not proper at a place like that. Honestly, anyone would know that, right girls?"

"Yeah." Lucy said.

"…"

"Wendy?" Hisui asked, looking at the youngest among them.

"Um…"

"Wendy," Lucy said, "Have you never used silverware before?"

"I have! Just not very often…"

"Wendy!" Hisui exclaimed, horrified. Liz on the other hand…

"Yes! I win!" She chanted.

"I don't know if that's a win." Lucy muttered under her breath. As she did, she turned her head slightly, and in doing so saw something rather interesting. "Hey guys! Can we go into there?"

The place she was pointing at was on the corner of the street, a somewhat shady store. It was dark and ominous, but the sign claimed it to be a magic shop. 'Curious Curios for the Magically Inclined' it read. Normally she wouldn't be as interested, but for some reason she just couldn't look away. Maybe she had seen a celestial key out of the corner of her eye?

 _It looks sad_.

The thought ran through her head, but she couldn't decide why she thought that. Evidently, her companions did not agree.

"That place? There are plenty of better places here Lucy." Hisui stated

"It smells a little funky," Liz chimed in.

"It looks scary," Wendy said, eyeing the store warily. Lucy huffed indignantly and began walking towards the entrance.

"Fine, I'll just go alone. I'll see you guys in a little bit."

"You know," Hisui said as Lucy entered the store, "I can't remember that store from last time we were here." Liz shrugged and pointed at a distant battle gear shop, dragging the other two along.

None of them noticed the door of the shop slowly fade away.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"So remind me why we're in the middle of the forest again?" Natsu said, looking at his current companion. Usually, on a day like this he'd be touring the town with Happy, but the Exceed had expressed a desire to go with Carla and Lily to traverse the merchant town's lake pier.

 _At least he is having fun_.

Turning back to Gray, who had dragged him out to the middle of nowhere, he realized that he had missed the ice mage's answer.

"Uh, what?"

"Honestly, do you even have a brain in that head? I said that I want to fight you. Porlyusica and Atlas said you were good, right?" Natsu winced slightly as Gray talked, escaping notice as he was behind him.

"Yeah, of course they did. Porlyusica can be a monster sometimes." Natsu said. He wasn't lying, just stretching the truth. Technically they had said to take it easy, but a spar was fine, right?

"Says the dragon. So, you up for a spar? I wanted to show you what I learned from Ur!"

"I'm game for anything you are stripper!"

"You want to bet dragon boy?" Gray smirked. They had arrived at the location he had found a little while ago. It was a massive ruin, the leftover of some ancient civilization. Far enough away from the trees, they didn't have to worry about the foliage burning down, plus it was at the base of a small mountain, so it was hidden from the view of the village (which was on the other side. Natsu hadn't realized they had walked that far).

"Bet on _what_ exactly?" The boys froze as they heard the voice.

 _Well, damn._

Natsu turned, smiling as brightly as he could as he looked at the sneaky white haired girl that had appeared behind them. He knew it was a mistake to help her get a Take Over Soul he couldn't detect.

"Oh, hey Lisanna! What are you doing here?" He asked cheerfully, trying to distract her. It didn't work.

"I think I'm here to stop my idiot dragon from doing something really stupid! They told you to take it easy today! How the hell is this taking it easy?" Natsu had to admit, when Lisanna got angry she was quite the terrifying sight. However, he thought while internally smirking, he had just thought of exactly how to get out of this one.

" _Your_ idiot dragon, huh?" He smirked outwardly now, staring right in her eyes. She sputtered, quickly blushing red. It always made him laugh when she got embarrassed, and it was always by the small things.

"How does that whole 'soulmates' thing work anyways?" Gray asked from where he was standing. Natsu shrugged nonchalantly.

"In Dragon terms we're pretty much married." This was obviously a little too much for Lisanna, who went an alarming shade of red, "but I'd say that it means she's my girlfriend, at least, for now." He winked at Lisanna at this, and she felt her blush that had begun to recede return in full force.

"So you got a girlfriend before I did? That's just plain depressing." Gray sighed. Natsu laughed and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"As if, you've pretty much been taken since a certain water mage joined the guild."

"What?! Why would you say that?!" Gray said, his face turning red too. Natsu grinned. Apparently, it was just as much fun to make people burn up without his flames as it was to do it with them.

"Hmmpf. It doesn't matter, he isn't fighting today." Lisanna said with finality in her tone.

Natsu sighed, but before Gray could complain he had a brilliant idea.

"Hey! How about you fight with Lisanna?"

"What?" two voices said in unison.

"Yeah! Lisanna is sorta around Erza's strength, so this will be a good test!"

"But…"

"Don't worry Gray, you can show me any move you want after. Plus, I'm willing to bet you're going to need them, just to keep up with Lisanna here!"

"Does that mean the Liz is around her strength too?" Natsu laughed.

"Almost, but don't let her catch you saying that. Personally, I think that Liz had more raw power than Lisanna or Erza, but she'd still lose. Both of them have a wide variety of powers thanks to their different armours and forms, and while Liz can be amazing in battle, she has a habit of trying to force herself through every situation through brute strength."

"Sounds like someone else we knew," Gray said with a laugh. Natsu shrugged and laughed guiltily.

"What can I say, guess I rubbed off on her a little. So, what do you say? Willing to face off against my girl?" Natsu said, laughing inside as he saw Lisanna blush again from the corner of his sight.

 _Man, it's too easy sometimes._

"You know what? Sure, why not? But I still want to face you." Gray said.

"Don't I get any say in this?" Lisanna asked. Natsu frowned for a second before smiling once more.

"I got it! We'll make it a contest! Gray, if you win I'll owe you any one favour."

"Sounds good to me!" Gray said, grinning as well. He had plenty of things he could get Natsu to do, a list that stretched back to when they first started fighting as kids.

"And me?" Lisanna asked. She still looked unconvinced, so Natsu knew he had to lay it on thick.

"Well," he said, approaching her, "how about this. When we get to Crocus, I will take you to any store you want, and you can buy anything you want. Then we'll go for dinner at that one restaurant you love, the one with the nice courtyard. Then, I'll take you for a flight, far up above the city, among the stars." At this point he was right in front of her and smiled as he took hold of her hand. "That sound alright?"

Lisanna pretended to think about it for a second before responding, her voice teasing.

"I guess that's okay, but only if we can visit the palace gardens too."

"Deal. Aright Gray, looks like you got yourself a fight!" He cheered. Gray smirked. Internally he let out a whistle. Who knew Natsu of all people could even be the slightest bit romantic?

"I think you've got to let go of her hand first flame brain. And what about fighting you? That off the table?" He pointed out.

"Oh right." Natsu said, before letting go and going over to a pillar, leaping up to the top and sitting there. "How about this? If Gray can beat your strongest soul, then I get to _take over_ from there." Lisanna facepalmed.

"That was a terrible joke."

"I thought it was fine! So…? I won't push myself!"

"… Fine." Natsu cheered at her voice, his magic releasing from his skin in a small blaze of crimson and black.

"You guys ready?"

Gray took his usual stance, mist forming as his freezing cold magic pooled in his hands. Lisanna glowed for a second before her form changed. When she stopped glowing she looked nearly identical to how she had before, with just a few slight changes. Red scales formed around her eyes and on her arms, sort of like Natsu when he had entered Dragon Force.

" **Take Over: Fire Serpent** ** _._** " She said.

"This one stronger than the Winter Wyvern?" Gray asked, but all he got was a laugh from Natsu.

"You have to _earn_ the right to face my strongest Draconic Souls Gray. Let's call this a warm-up." She said, her tone serious. She was balancing in the balls of her feet, ready for some action. She would never say it to Natsu, but she was actually glad he had turned the situation into this (yet, based on the way he was stupidly grinning, she was sure he already knew). Ever since she had been made Guild Master she hadn't really fought all that much. She needed to get back into the groove, and what better way than a nice 'friendly' duel.

"I'm ready when you are popsicle."

"Right back at you Strauss."

Natsu grinned, and collected a small amount of thunder in his hand, just enough for a loud bang when released.

"Alright then! Ready… Set… GO!"

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Hello?" Lucy called out. She had entered the store hoping to find some rare magic objects, or a key, but the only things she could see were ancient pictures. So much for this being some sort of magic shop. She sighed, it looked like the others were right. So, she turned to leave, only to run straight into a wall. A bang and a yelp later she was on the ground.

"Ow." She muttered before looking at the wall. What was going on? She was sure she hadn't taken more than three steps, yet the wall behind her was solid wood. She glanced around a second time, more cautiously.

 _Well, they weren't wrong when they said Curious._

With nowhere else to go, Lucy began to walk forward. The first thing that she looked at as she began moving was the paintings that filled the walls. Every surface was entirely covered by them. The pictures were all of different scenes, some happy and beautiful, while others looked to be scenes of destruction and death. They gave her the shivers, being so life like she swore she could just walk into them.

In retrospect, she should have been much more terrified. Yet, she couldn't help but be interested as she walked. It seemed that the further she went, the more life like the pictures became. She kept going, and began to trail her hands along the paintings themselves, feeling the thrum of ancient magic flow through her. If she looked closely they almost seemed to be moving.

"Step away and walk quickly my dear." A voice rang out. It came from up ahead. She looked towards the picture she had been touching, and stopped in shock. The picture itself was of herself, when she was a child. She was running in a field by the Heartfilia Manor, her mother watching with a smile in the background. She remembered that day…

"I said walk away!" The voice cred out louder, demanding. Lucy, startled, took a step back and noticed something that she hadn't before. Her hand was not only skimming the top of the painting, but was now _inside it_ , all the way to her wrist. Jerking her hand back she began walking quickly towards the sound of the voice, looking at the ground and ignoring the rest of the paintings on the way.

 _Maybe I should have been more scared._

She was soon out of the hallway of pictures, and as she left the place behind she slowed down once more. She was now in an actual shop, though she appeared to entering from the back. Turning she saw the door she had entered through, but instead of empty space behind her she found a swirling whirlpool of colours. A portal of sorts. She turned again and looked at the shop she was now in. It was older, but still in great shape. Despite the dark wood that it was mostly made of, a light seemed to shine throughout the whole thing, lighting up air itself.

"Hello?" She called out again.

"At the counter!" A voice called back. Now that she wasn't in danger, Lucy could hear the voice much more clearly. It was male, but very melodious. It almost sounded almost like whoever this was, he was trying to play the role of a happy, kind, person and finding it extremely ironic as he did. Lucy walked to the front of the shop, and as she did she fell to the ground for the second time of the day.

"Oww!" A different voice called out. This one, however, was familiar.

"Sting?"

"Lucy?"

They talked at the same time, rubbing their foreheads, which were red where they collided.

"What are you doing here Lucy?" Sting asked as he stood up. Lucy got up as well, grabbing a nearby counter to help herself.

"I walked into a store! How was I supposed to know all of this would happen?"

"Me too! Rogue said that he would meet me later, almost like he didn't want to even get near this place."

"My friends were like that too. And who is Rogue?"

"Rogue is my partner." He answered. Before he could say anything else though, the voice from before rang through the air again.

"I'm waiting for you two. It would be rude to keep me waiting." The implied threat sent a shiver down Lucy's spine, but Sting seemed to be excited by it. He extended his hand towards Lucy and gestured behind him.

"C'mon! Let's not keep this guy waiting for too long!"

They rushed to the front counter, turning the corner quickly, before coming face to face with their captor. Lucy almost dropped her keys, which she had pulled out just in case, as she saw him.

The person who stood before her was someone she had only seen once before, very briefly. Internally, she wondered if it had been a few months or 7 years since she had seen him. It didn't really matter. Standing before them was a young looking man, with black hair and black eyes. He was smiling sadly at them, but as Lucy remembered him he always looked sad. However, instead of the robes she had seen him before he was dressed in a white suit, a black shirt underneath. She immediately backed up, pulling out her keys and pointing them at him, glaring.

"What are you doing here." She said. Sting had adopted a battle stance, trusting her blatant aggressiveness to tell him that this was an enemy.

However, neither expected the answer that came. The black haired wizard behind the counter scowled, and folded his arms.

"This isn't where I'd like to be, if that's what you're wondering, nor did I pull you here. I'm just as surprised to see you here little fairy. I am simply stepping in for the owner."

"Why? Who are you? And Who's the owner?" Sting asked, not relaxing in the slightest. He was rewarded with a smirk, one that made Lucy blink. She could have sworn she'd seen that smirk before.

"Why don't you tell the kitten my name, fairy?"

"Sting," she said, switching her keys so Loke's key was in her hand, "Say hi to the darkest mage to ever live. Zeref." She saw out of the corner of her eye that Sting had gone pale with a whispered "impossible". She turned her attention back to Zeref, who had yet to move from his seat behind the counter.

"Why are you here Zeref?" Zeref once again scowled and Lucy tensed. However, he still didn't make a move against them, only sighing and resting his head on one of his hands, supporting it with his elbow on the table. He seemed to be struggling with an answer before he sighed again.

"I lost a wager. Hence the suit as well." He said resignedly. Lucy could feel the confusion emanating from Sting and could guarantee that she was just as confused. She relaxed and looked around, pulling up a chair when she found one. Sting looked at her like she was insane.

"What are you doing?! That's Zeref! Get up!" Lucy just shook her head.

"If he wanted to kill us he would have done it already. Besides, he's immortal. We can't really do anything to stop him."

Sting blinked at the new information before collapsing into a chair of his own (really he was lucky that a chair was there, since he basically just threw himself backwards). Zeref looked at them and stood, moving around behind the counter and grabbing a book. He put it on the table and opened it to the last page.

"I must apologize for your unorthodox entries; I have not yet got the hang of leading people to the door when they first arrive here."

"What was that? And where is here?" Lucy asked. Now that she had once again calmed down she found her curiosity raging again.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you arrived in the Hall of Framed Eternity. All moments in time are captured there, from the most mundane to the most world changing events. However, they are quite dangerous, as they compel you to view them. It is easy to lose yourself for thousands of years in there, one would start watching only to never look away as their body slowly died. It is a useful tool though, if you have the willpower to look away." Lucy shivered, realizing just how close she had been to throwing herself into that memory.

"As to where we are, did you not read the sign? This is Curious Curios for the Magically Inclined." Zeref said with a small smile and raised his arms, gesturing to the rest of the store.

"Of course we knew that!" Sting said, "But what does that mean?" Zeref, flipped the book over and read from the front for a second before turning back to them.

"This store is only open to a few human souls every generation. It is home of the Merchant of Gods and Devils, situated at the Crossroad of the Infinities. It is the one place in the universe that energies from all worlds coexist. It is a place of power and mystery, and you two appear to be the two of the lucky souls from this generation that get to take advantage of this."

"So you mean…"

"For unknown reasons, the owner chooses people with important destinies to help throughout their journeys. In return for favours or tasks for the owner of the store, you may purchase and use the artifacts from the Ancient Races, and also rare and legendary objects from your own race. Also, things like the Hall of Framed Eternity are open to you, but I would advise against using them liberally. All of them are dangerous to even the immortal races, let alone mortals."

"So, just who is the owner?" Sting asked.

"No one really knows who or what he is. All I know about him is that he currently goes by the name Lucian, and that he predates the Ancient Races by some degree. He is extremely powerful, but is somehow barred from using his powers anywhere but here. As to where he is now? I haven't a clue. I know he can't go to any of the three major realms, being Earthland, Celestia, and the Underworld, but he could have gone to any number of smaller worlds. Does that answer your questions?"

"Umm, yeah." He said back, unsure now of what to say. This was a weird situation to say the least.

"So now what?" Lucy asked. Zeref gestured to the door.

"This was your first time, so I suppose you leave. Just remember, if you ever want to return you all you have to do is say the name of the store before opening a door."

"What about bringing someone else here?" Lucy asked. Zeref looked in the book for a second before shrugging.

"I am not sure. If they are of the Ancient Races then yes, for sure, but as for a human I have no clue."

Sting looked around for a second before looking at the door and grinning.

"Well, I guess now I have a way of finding you again! Meet you here in a few days to settle things with this Lucian guy?" he asked, pulling her over to the door. She smiled.

 _I guess I've got a new friend_ , she thought as he left through the front door. She put her hand on the doorknob before hesitating. She turned and faced Zeref, who was now just leafing through the book he had earlier, the registry of the store she supposed.

"Why are you so different?"

"What are you referring to?

"I would have thought you would be more evil. Everyone wanted to find you, wake you up, and end the world."

"Ah, I see. I was never asleep, but I suppose you could say that my bloodlust was. Many years ago I was cursed for dabbling in life and death. The god that cursed me was young though, and in doing so he created something no one would have thought possible. An immortal, with all the powers of a god, but without the limitations, such as having something to preside over. I had no responsibilities, no ties, and no one in charge of me. But, I was still cursed, am still cursed. As long as I value life I take it unintentionally, but the less I value life the more control I have on my magic."

"That sounds awful." Lucy couldn't imagine living a life like that.

"It is."

"So when they wanted to awaken you? "

"They wanted to return me to as I was before, not caring about human life, so I could bring about a new world."

"And they didn't?" Lucy asked hesitantly. Staying to talk was seeming more and more terrible with every passing moment.

"They did, and for 6 years I worked to gather power and resources to destroy humanity." Lucy stared, unsure what to say. Hell, she didn't know what to do even. He said it so calmly, like he had gone to the market or eaten a sandwich.

"And now?" she asked quietly, fearing the answer.

"Now I am willing to give it a chance."

"What changed your mind. Based on what Grimoire Heart had to do to make you 'wake up' it must have been big." She was startled when Zeref, the darkest mage in history, laughed and looked bashful.

"Let's just say my little brother was less than pleased with my plans and knocked some sense into me." He smiled fondly, happier than Lucy had seen him yet. Then what he said caught up to her.

"You have a brother!? Really?"

"That I do. He wasn't aware of it until about a year ago, but he took the news rather well. Gave me a beating when he heard of my plans though… It's been so long since I've felt actual pain that I had forgotten how getting beat up would feel."

"Wait, he just beat you up? How strong is he?" Someone stronger than Zeref? Lucy didn't even want to think of it.

"He is quite powerful, but it took every bit of power for him to match me in my sealed form. And despite what you think, there are those stronger than me out there. Major Gods and Devils stand on my level, as well as the more powerful dragon kings and queens, when I am truly at my full strength. Unfortunately, that power was sealed long ago. In fact, the two strongest dragons, Igneel and Acnologia," Lucy shivered as she thought of that monster, "are both much stronger than I currently am. I may be immortal, but I am not all powerful." Lucy looked at him and smiled slightly, still nervous around the man.

"You should leave now fairy. Your friends will notice your absence if you stay much longer." Lucy nodded, and walked through the door. A bright light filled the air, and her next step was onto a busy street. She watched as the people crossed the busy streets, wondering about all the things she had just learned. She and Sting had a quite the mystery to solve now. She smiled again.

 _Maybe that isn't such a bad thing._

"Lucy!" Wendy yelled as she waved from across the street. Liz was with her waving her arms.

"Come on Lucy!" she yelled.

Lucy smiled, then ran over to them. She guessed it could wait for now.

••••••••••••••••••••••

To say Natsu was impressed would be an understatement. Gray and Lisanna had been fighting fairly even for the last 5 minutes, trading blow for blow. It was odd to watch, if Natsu was honest, as the Fire Serpent Soul that Lisanna was using was somewhat similar to his basic Fire Dragon Slayer magic. Gray was still using his Ice Make Magic, but Natsu could see this fight was about to go to the next level. If Gray could force Lisanna to her strongest Take Over then he was already far above where Natsu had hoped. As Natsu was thinking, Lisanna leaped away from a barrage of arrows and landed on her feet, glowing.

" **Take Over, Draconic Soul; Winter Wyvern!** " She called out as the light faded, leaving her in her icy armour once more.

" _Alright Gray, let's get serious._ " Gray smiled at her words, stripping his shirt off and throwing it to the wind.

"Finally!" he cheered in response. Natsu looked carefully at his chest as the mage began to increase in magic power. There, right by his Fairy Tail Symbol, was another mark. It was small and black, but Natsu could never forget smelling that scent before. Now if only he could remember where he had smelled it, he'd be fine.

" **Winter's Edge, Wyvern's Freezing Flash!** "

From her hands icicles shot forth like massive arrows, followed by a blast of pure ice magic. Gray just stood there, letting the magic assault him in a massive explosion of icy power. Natsu's eyes widened at what followed.

 _Well, I didn't think she'd teach him_ that _technique.._

Slowly the magical pressure in the area began grow, and a crack like thunder came as the ice Lisanna had sent Gray's way spilt and shattered. Snow filled the area, exploding from where Gray was standing. It was a huge blizzard, filling the entire ruins with snow. As Natsu looked around the area from his perch he noticed that besides his seat there wasn't a spot not covered in ice and snow.

" _Perhaps that wasn't the best idea._ " Lisanna's voice came from the air. Turning, Natsu saw that she was currently flying a little above the field, safe from the ice that coated most everything.

"You think? Did you forget he is an ice mage?" Natsu said.

"I'm glad you avoided that one," Gray's voice cut through their little exchange. He was standing on the ice now, surrounded by sharp icicles facing outwards in a circle around him. "This strong enough for me to face Natsu yet?" Lisanna looked at him and smiled, though it looked slightly worrying.

" _You're definitely getting close. Well, maybe I should move on to face you equally then._ _ **Take Over, Draconic Soul; Flare Fiend!**_ " Once again she began to glow before entering her Flare Fiend Soul. The black bones formed on her skin, and flames much hotter than any she had used previously leapt from them. She smirked before landing on the ground, the heat melting the ice where she touched down. " _Time to teach you a lesson Gray. I hope you enjoy it._ " She said before shooting forwards.

When asked later, Gray could have sworn that Lisanna was a different person when she donned that soul. He guessed that was what they meant by she didn't have the best control over it. Her attacks became viscous, savage.

For a moment, all was calm, Gray standing with his icy protections, and Lisanna revelling in the heat that surrounded her.

The Lisanna took a step.

Then another. And another, until she was sprinting towards her opponent, nearly a blur. This was it, where the real fight began.

Lisanna shot through his first wave of defences, shattering his ice like it was nothing. Her fists slammed through the icicles he sent after that, and as she got closer and closer he began to pool his magic into his body.

" **Ice Make: Lance!** " He yelled. A multitude of icy lances shot towards her, but melted in the flames that erupted around the Take Over Mage.

" _That the best you got Gray?_ _ **Fire Flare's END!**_ _"_ A small orb of fire formed in her outstretched hand, pulsing then condensing over and over again. On her shoulder her Fairy Tail emblem, surrounded by the dragon symbol, began to glow slightly and a flicker of black fire appeared in the flaming orb. It flared once more, then in a bright blast it exploded forward, shooting forward like a gun.

Gray's eyes widened as it approached. There was more magic in that one attack than anything he had been hit with so far. He clenched his jaw. He wasn't quite ready yet, but he guessed it would have to do. A voice drowned out his own chant, and his eyes widened once more as he heard the words.

"Hey! That's cheating Lisanna! You can't use MY curse!" Curse huh? He'd have to ask what the hell that was. But after, he was busy right now. Time seemed to slow as he released his magic, his words filling the air.

" **With one freezing soul I call forth the eternal ice, the true ice, and freeze that witch opposes my own desires. Eternal Ice: Frozen Field!** " As he finished, a wave of blue/white energy blasted outwards, meeting the blast of fire shooting towards him head on. Instantly, the fire froze, making Gray smirk as the ice followed the trail of the blast until it completely covered Lisanna, from head to toe. He jumped, cheering as he did.

"Haha! I won!" He yelled, an continued to do so until a chuckle interrupted him. Gray hated chuckles like that. He turned to Natsu, where the sound was coming from, and pointed at him. "What are you laughing at flame brain?! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?!" Natsu just laughed harder, actually letting it loose.

"Man Gray, I had no idea she had taught you Eternal Ice Magic. That's Ur's signature magic you know, I bet that Lyon is going to be sooo jealous!" He broke down laughing once more, then stopped rather suddenly as a spike of magic filled the area. He looked to Gray smirking. "I guess you win Gray, you pushed her into her final form. Hope you got plenty of magic left…" He trailed off with a feral grin, and Gray felt himself shudder as he turned. Standing in a tornado of blue energy was a terrifying form, only the shape was discernible. Even then, Gray felt fear course through his veins. She looked like… like…

The energy swirled into nothing, and Gray froze as his thought completed itself.

Acnologia.

" **Take Over, Draconic Soul; Chaos Drake!** " The soul was quite simple, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. Her clothes had been replaced with a simple black, skin tight outfit that was outlined in gray and covered in blue tribal markings. Behind her was a pair of feathered black wings, just like _his_ , that were spread wide and also covered in the tribal swirls. Her hands ended in black dragon like appendages, and a tail that looked similar to Acnologia's, except having a trident at the end and being bright blue. Her hair was the same bright blue, and looking into her eyes it was easy to see that the magic had completely consumed her. Natsu looked at Gray and gave him a small smile.

"Hope you got something to deal with this. She can be quite the monster in this form." She was standing still, taking deep breaths as she flexed her wings. "We found this drake not too long after we got back from our journey. It's nowhere near as powerful as a Chaos Dragon, like Acnologia, but trust me when I say she still packs a punch." He grimaced and rubbed his arm. "Trust me, I know. It takes a lot for her to control that form. Take her out now Gray." Gray grinned. For once happy with the turn of events.

"I should end this now I guess. Then I can get on to facing you!" He took a stance, one eerily familiar to Natsu. In fact, he recalled with a simmering anger, he believed he told Gray to never try it again.

"Gray! What the hell! I said no Iced Shell, remember?!"

"Don't worry Natsu, this isn't that one. Its better." Natsu looked again as the magic began to build, and as he did he noticed the subtle differences. His hands were turned up, open, and pooling magic within them instead of swirling around him. This was going to be interesting, he noted. However, he wasn't the only one to note something. Lisanna had stopped basking in the power she was releasing (an unfortunate side effect of the Chaos Drake Soul. Those bastards loved to preen) and was now looking directly at Gray. Natsu tensed. If Gray couldn't manage to do whatever he had planned, he would have to interrupt. Lisanna had very, VERY little control at this stage, even less because she had already been fighting.

Gray took a deep breath, prepared to make his move, when Lisanna struck. She shot forward, seemingly blinking in and out as she closed the distance. Her eyes were blank, and Natsu prepared himself to move. He trusted Gray, so he wouldn't interfere until the last moment, but he would have to be fast..

When Lisanna moved, Gray hesitated for half of a second. It was near impossible to not, she looked too damn scary. The way she held herself loosely, sorta like a doll that was having her strings pulled, then burst forward with her talons glowing blue with that strange energy, wings spread wide. It was that half second that nearly ended the battle, but luckily, Gray had already begun the spell, all he had left was to complete it. He shut his eyes, knowing that if he kept looking he would hesitate again, and he knew he couldn't do that. Vaguely, he was aware of someone screaming his name, but he ignored that too.

" **Eternal Ice Magic: Frozen Instance!** "

A moment passed. Not a single sound echoed through the air. Gray slowly opened his eyes, and immediately jumped back. Not an inch from his eye was a long, sharp, talon. He dropped to the ground, a little shocked.

 _She almost killed me._

He looked up, noticing the empty expression on her face. He shuddered. He felt quite justified in that moment for being afraid. As he stood he took the time to look around and take in the sights. This was only the second time he had cast this spell, and it still amazed him.

Frozen Instance, as Ur had described it, was one of the few magics that she taught him that had no limit. It was one thing to freeze the material world…

It was quite another thing all together to freeze time itself.

His gaze ran over Lisanna's talons again, noticing how even the energy that was flowing off her talons froze in the air. His eyes drifted past her the, and he felt his mouth open in shock as he saw who was behind her. Juvia, hand outstretched and mouth open in a scream, stood at the edge of the clearing. He sighed and facepalmed. Of course she had followed him. He shook his head and turned to face Lisanna again. Now he just had to knock her out and be done with it.

 _But,_ he thought with a devious smile, _I think I should do something else first_.

He turned once more, this time to the place that Natsu had been perched, his mind pulling as many prank ideas to the surface of his head as possible.

Only to find an empty pillar in its place.

"Looking for someone?" Gray jumped as the voice came from behind him, and gaped as he saw Natsu with his arms crossed tapping his foot impatiently.

"What the? HOW ARE YOU MOVING?!" Gray yelled. Natsu thought hard for a second before nodding, coming to a decision.

"How did you freeze time?"

"I funneled my Eternal Ice into the fabric of space and time, freezing time itself in its place."

"Then that's it! You used ice magic, so I just melted it around myself!" Gray stared.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! I DIDN'T USE REAL ICE!" he yelled. Natsu glared at him.

"Yes it does stripper. You're just too dumb to understand!" He proclaimed, huffing a puff of fire out while he did. Gray stared for another few seconds, then began to laugh. A tick mark appeared in Natsu's forehead as he glared even harder.

"What the hell ice-pop!" he yelled at the laughing mage. Gray slowly stopped chuckling, and got up from the ground where he had fallen while laughing. He looked at the Dragon Slay- no, Dragon, and smiled.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed too much Natsu. We were worried that you'd be completely different now, and we haven't got to see a lot of you yet. It's nice to know that you're still you, get it?" Natsu stared at him for a second before looking over at Lisanna.

"Eh, not really." Gray sighed. Yup, same old Natsu. "But we're Nakama Gray. I'll never be anyone but me, and you'll always be you, so that means we'll always be Nakama. So, are you ever going to knock her out?"

Gray grinned and nodded, and formed a small, concentrated amount of Eternal Ice Magic at the tip of his finger. He walked up behind her and tapped her at the neck, and a small seal was placed there. Natsu smiled and gave him a thumbs up. With a deep breath, Gray took a fighting stance and ended the spell.

All of a sudden the sound of the forest rushed back, and Gray watched as Lisanna went flying through the space he had just been in, shivering at the thought of where her claw would have gone. As she stopped and turned, his rune took effect and a crackling blue energy exploded from her and shot into the sky before falling on Gray. All at once he felt his energy returning, and his scrapes and burns fading away.

"You were going to use that to end this the whole time?" Natsu asked. Gray nodded.

"Yeah, but it isn't something that can be used easily. It needs to be done perfectly at the middle of the spine on the neck. If it's even a little off it has the opposite effect and I'm drained instead."

"Ah", Natsu said, before rushing off to grab Lisanna as she fell. When he caught her, the Take Over Soul shattered, leaving just a tired Lisann, though covered in minor injuries.

"You okay?" He asked, receiving a smile to match his own.

"I'll live, though my pride won't. I should have stuck with Flare Fiend, might have been able to slow down whatever he did there." Natsu smiled and laughed, only to get a panicked look on his face as Lisanna began to pout.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt too badly?" he asked frantically. Lisanna sighed dramatically before looking at him.

"No, but now we won't get to go on that date in Crocus." Natsu laughed at her response, quite aware of what that little pout was for now.

"I guess we could make an exception this one time."

 _This time and every time_ , Natsu thought looking down at her. _She's always so pretty after she's let loose some of that pent-up frustration_.

"Hey! You forget something fire face?" Gray yelled, "It's your turn to get beaten!"

Natsu helped Lisanna over to a tree, giving her to Juvia to support (Juvia being incredibly surprised anyone had noticed her 'stealthiness') before turning to Gray, smiling wide.

"Alright Ice Princess, how quickly do you want me to beat you? I've seen what your capable of, so you could probably hold up against Stage 2 for a while, maybe Stage 3." He said. Gray paused thinking for a second.

"Where does everyone else stand?"

"Well, as you saw in our fight Jellal can stand up to Stage 3 about, but Stage 4 is way too much for him. Gildarts would be around Stage 4 I'd say, but who knows with him. Makarov is around Stage 3 or 4, though probably 3. Everyone else I think I could beat without going past stage 2, except maybe Erza." Natsu shuddered. "She would probably force me to use Stage 3 just by terrifying me into it." Gray nodded, knowing just how scary she could be. Then he smirked.

"How about this? I'm going to give you everything I've got, every last bit of magic, and you're going to fight as hard as you can to beat it. Got it? I made a bet with Gajeel I could get you higher than Stage 2 before he could!" Gray said. Natsu nodded, taking his stance and letting the crimson black flames release, followed by the smell of ozone as thunder began flickering in the fire.

"You got it ice block. Now, take your best shot."

"Alright then! **Ice Make: Multiply!** " 12 seals appeared in the air behind him, making a circle themselves. " **Eternal Ice Magic: Twelve Stars of Eternal Winter!** " Each of the 12 magic circles behind him filled with twelve smaller circles, forming a star. Then each began to glow, before lines began forming between the circles, forming a massive circle, with the twelve circles creating a larger version of themselves in the air. " **Eternal Ice Magic, Second Tier: Night Sky of the Eternal Winter!** " The magic charged up, waiting to hit its limit before releasing. This was a spell that Gray had never use before, and to be honest shouldn't have been able to use then. It was only thanks to all of Lisanna's power in him that he could muster this up, and it was burning through her magic far too fast for him to charge it much longer.

Natsu wasn't grinning anymore either, smelling Lisanna's magic and realizing what was about to happen. He swore softly, then prepared to stop the attack. As he took a step forward Gray smirked at him (infuriating him) before launching the massive beam of pure winter energy at the Dragon Mage. Natsu's eyes widened at its size and strength before grinning. If Gray wanted all out, he would get all out. He didn't even care who won that stupid bet they made (and just to clarify, it was stupid because they made it. If he had made a bet like that, it would have been awesome).

"Now I've got a fire in my belly!"

Back in town the girls had just finished shopping when a boom echoed across the town. They looked up in unison as the air behind the mountain lit up in a shade of white/blue light, a pillar of energy erupting into the sky. Liz stood for a second before Wendy shook her, telling her they should go check it out. Across the town various mages were having the same reaction, and began rushing to the area that had seemingly just lit up the sky.

Back with the fighters, Gray smiled as he watched his attack land, hoping to force Natsu to be a little serious. He couldn't say it out loud, but it wasn't a great feeling to see just how much his friend and rival had improved compared to himself. Hopefully, this would show him that he was still strong enough to be a rival.

And so, when he heard chuckling coming from the crater he had created he couldn't help but feel his expectations of the fight fall too.

" **Good job Gray! Though, I would say it was a little overkill. But, I can't say anything about that, at least not according to Lisanna. You said you wanted me to go as full out as I could, right? Well, here it comes snowflake, hope you're ready.** " As the dust settled and the light faded from his attack Gray's eyes widened considerably. Standing on the ground, completely fine, was Natsu. His eyes were slitted and his pupils were red, his body covered by the black lines and flame symbols that matched with the red ones that covered him as a dragon. Behind him were two massive wings of flame, and as always he was coated by a layer of crimson black flames that were full of thunder.

 _Crap._ He thought. _I didn't think he'd go_ this _far._

" **Well Graysicle? You ready for the main event?** " Gray's eyes widened even more as the fires around him began to swell and pulse.

Juvia watched from the side, still supporting Lisanna. Both of them whipped around as a blur sped by them, though only to turn around and come to a stop in front of them.

"…" Liz had opened her mouth to say something to the two girls she had just appeared before, but as she turned she saw what was going on in the middle of the ruins and her mouth fell open.

Natsu and Gray were now jumping from pillar to pillar, Gray mainly avoiding blasts of fire as all except his Eternal Ice was melting before it even got close. Slowly more and more members of Fairy Tail arrived and watched in awe as the two fought. When Gajeel arrived he immediately frowned, muttering about icy pricks.

" **Come on Gray, you can do better than that!** " Natsu yelled, flapping his flaming wings to avoid a blast of freezing power. Gray spun as he flipped onto the ground from a pillar, before pulling all the rest of his magic into himself.

"Fine then! Here it comes Natsu, **Eternal Ice Make Magic: Endless Ice Armour!** " Ice formed on him, coalescing into a vaguely human shape. Natsu stopped his assault as he watched the armour grow, and grow, until it was the about half the size of Master's Titan form. The areas around its feet was freezing instantly, and Natsu couldn't help but grin in glee.

"You won't be able to burn me now Natsu. Ur taught me this spell to deal with fire drakes, so it should last for a bit against your fire!" His response came in the form of a laugh, and a growl.

" **I don't think you've thought this one through Gray. Why do you think I can't usually go full strength?** " Natsu asked, his distorted voice filled with glee. Gray gulped in his armour and shrugged. Natsu gave his feral smile and laughed. " **Because I don't want to kill people. But if you think that a little Eternal Ice is enough to stop me? Then this fight was over far before it began. Now, face the power of the Dragon King of Fairy Tail!** " With that he disappeared in a flash of flames. Gray spun around, his armour proving to be just as nimble as he usually was, but before he could located Natsu he was struck from above from a tornado of fire, melting away one of the construct's arms. He looked up and prepared his magic once more. Natsu watched the magic gather with a bored look on his face, and Gray felt a small twinge of fear go through him. It wasn't the same fear as when Lisanna had faced him. He had felt the fear of facing a powerful opponent before. That wasn't new. But this fear? The only times he had felt something like this was when he had seen Acnologia himself facing down the master, and when Ur faced down Deloria.

 _He's… bored. I thought I had caught up, even a little, but I'm still nowhere near his level. Just look at him! He's looking at me like I'm some sort of ant._

Gray shuddered and gathered the offensive magic of his armour into one blast. He had to try, even if he knew he couldn't win. Suddenly, Natsu smirked and disappeared.

" **Well, someone's finally realized it.** " The voice came from right behind his ear. Eyes wide, Gray spun, and sure enough, there was Natsu. He had appeared within the construct, right behind the ice mage. " **There are some people in the world that we just can't beat yet. We all have a goal, someone to surpass. For me, that's Acnologia, at least for now. For you, its Deloria. And right now, it's me. You've lost Gray. I'm glad to have seen how strong you've gotten though. Ur did a great job. Now, let's end this.** " He said. Panicking, Gray threw up his hands.

" **Eternal Ice Magic: Frozen Instance!** " He yelled. Natsu chuckled as he felt time freeze, then turned to Gray once more.

" **That's not going to last long. You've proven powerful Gray, and I am proud to call you my guildmate. I couldn't go all out before, but now that's no one's watching…** " He smiled before disappearing again in a flash of flames again. He reappeared in the air above the ruins and roared. His crimson black flames erupted from his body, and as Gray watched his body itself turned to flame. At first, the flames were mixed together, as usual, but as Gray watched they began to shift. The black lines and symbols that covered his body in Stage 4 began to become crimson flames, as well as his eyes and mouth, and the rest of his body became the black flames. He roared once more, and magic power began to roll off his form, even as said form changed. It grew, larger and larger, and before Gray knew a flash of light filled the air. A dull flapping sound could be heard, and Gray looked up to behold a beautiful and terrifying sight. In the air above him was Natsu, in his full Draconic glory. He spoke, and the very ground shook as he did.

" **When I am with the dragons I am known as Prince Dragneel, the Cataclysm Dragon, and this is the end of our battle Gray. Be happy though, because I don't usually even think of using this form against just anyone. Now, face my flames!** " As he finished he took a deep breath and Gray could only stand in shock as flames ten times the size of his construct leapt forth from his maw, the crimson black flames melting away his Eternal Ice like it had never even been there. Then, to finish it off, his tail slammed through what little remained of his construct, forcing him to collide with the ground with a massive crash. Gray sat there for a moment before trying to get up, only to find himself staring into the eyes of the Dragon that had crushed him with barely any effort. His mouth was charged with the same energy he had used against Jellal, The Dragon's King Roar, and he growled a warning.

" **Submit Gray. You're done.** " Gray simply nodded, fear easily seen as the energy faded. A flash of flames later, a completely human Natsu was standing over him offering his hand. He was smiling like an idiot, and Gray sighed in relief. He knew Natsu would never actually hurt him (too badly), but staring into the face of any dragon was terrifying.

"So, you going to start time? We have an audience." Gray looked around and noticed the entirety of the group that came to shop that day standing at the fringes of the ruins.

"I guess we do." And with that he ended the spell, collapsing as he did. He had hit his limit, and he felt Natsu grab him as he fell.

"Yo, what are you all doing here?" He asked.

"NOOOOO! WE MISSED IT! HOW?! They were right there AND WE MISSED IT!" Liz yelled. Hisui sighed, noticing her friend's distress.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, confused. Hisui laughed a little.

"It looks like Gray has the ability to briefly stop time. The magic in the air is sort of similar to a friend of Jellal's, only colder. Apparently, it doesn't apply to Natsu, but that isn't surprising. Natsu does stuff that defies logic all the time. And Liz is upset because she loves seeing Natsu battle." Liz continued to yell about how unfair it was in the background.

"So," Natsu said, looking at everyone gathered, "Everyone have a good day today? Great, cause guess what? Tomorrow, hell on earth begins! Who's ready for training!" The collected group cheered, even Gray, who was nearly unconscious. "Alright then, let's head back to Magnolia and get some rest!" With that he walked over to the group and began to lead the way back. He traded Juvia, Gray for Lisanna, and started walking. To his left Wendy followed closely (with Carla sitting on her head), and on the other side of Lisanna, Liz was asking multiple questions about the fight. Lucy watched as he walked away, smiling and happy. Speaking of the cat…

"Hey Lucy!" Happy said, flying over to her.

"Hi Happy! How was your day?"

"It was great! We tried a ton of different kind of fishes!"

"Sounds great Happy." She smiled. Happy looked at her for a second before looking over at the people following Natsu out of the ruins and back to Magnolia. They had split into groups of sorts, and Happy smiled brightly. Erza and Jellal had been joined by Hisui, who looked thrilled as they both talked enthusiastically with her. Gajeel and Levy were with Lily, walking behind most of the groups. Juvia was supporting a limping Gray, but both were smiling. Happy turned too Lucy and noticed that she looked a little sad.

 _I sort of wish Sting was here._

Surprised by her thoughts, Lucy almost missed Happy consoling her (or trying to).

"Don't worry Lucy! You aren't _completely_ alone! Let's catch up to Natsu okay?" Lucy shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled brightly back at the Exceed.

"Yeah, okay!" And with that they were off.

••••••••••••••••••••••

As they left, a shape detached itself from one of the pillars. Their eyebrows furrowed as they thought about all they just saw.

 _They are more powerful than we thought,_ they thought, their mid filing away the possibilities. The Dragon King was particularly worrisome. However, if they moved fast enough, it shouldn't interfere too much. The person smiled to themselves.

 _You'll see soon, Fiore. War and destruction is coming to your peaceful kingdom, and when it hits, you won't know what hit you._

* * *

 ** _And another chapter done! Next time: the training sessions with Natsu begin, and our heroes struggle to keep up with the ever changing world. Also, Lucy and Sting meet Lucian! What will the mysterious Merchant want with them? And finally, the participants of the Grand Magic Games are chosen! This will be the last chapter before the Grand Magic Games arc starts in full force!_**

 ** _Till next time, GlitchCrafter out!_**


	9. Chapter 8

**Alright, its apology time. I have been struggling over the past few months with finals,** **homework, Christmas, etc... and have completely neglected my story! I am so sorry guys, but with all of that, plus a bad case of writers block, I fell way behind on my writing. But, I'm back! I hope to be able to get back into a regular posting schedule, but who knows which classes taking up time, but I'll try.**

 **Well, thats my apology! Please forgive me! To appease you guys, here's the next chapter! Hope it fills any expectations you guys had!**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own Fairy Tail.**

Chapter 8

Fire surrounded him, and a laughing filled the air.

"What's the matter Dragon King? Isn't that what you're called? Isn't that what you want?"

"No! I never wanted that!" Natsu yelled into the inferno. He looked around and saw the guild hall, burning to a crisp in the flames. Another chilling laugh filled the empty space, mocking him.

"That's what you'd like to think, but I know better. WE know better." Natsu spun as the voice came from behind him, and froze as he come face to face with the people he knew so well.

"Why can't you save us Natsu?" They asked. Standing before him was his friends, his family.

"No! I will save you!" They laughed again, before flames filled the air. A different voice filled the air, familiar.

"You have all this power Natsu, but what's the point? You can't save us." Her soft voice filled the air. Standing before him was Lisanna, smiling sadly. "Why are you even trying? You can't stop what's coming." Natsu shook his head, grabbing for her hand, but no matter how close he got he couldn't do it.

"No, I can save you! I will stop him!"

"How can you Natsu? How can you stop him when you can't even stop yourself?" She grabbed his hands, pulling them up for him to see. As she pulled away, a few droplets of blood fell from his soaked hands to the floor.

"W-w-what is this?" He asked, staring at his hands in horror.

"This is you. You and destruction go hand in hand Natsu. Take a look."

Natsu turned around once more, and fell to his knees in shock. His Nakama were spread around now, their broken bodies strewn before him.

"What have you done Na-kuuun?" Lisanna's voice purred from behind him, whispering into his ear. "You can't save them, and you can't save me." Natsu noticed something drip onto his shoulder. It was warm, yet it filled his soul with ice.

"Turn around Natsu."

"No," he whispered. He couldn't face that.

"I said turn around." She said more forcefully. He shook his head. He couldn't. He was breaking down already, seeing his friends before him, but he couldn't turn and face her. He wasn't strong enough for that. He felt her hands grasp his shoulders, colder than he had ever felt them.

"No, please," he begged, tears leaking from his closed eyes. She chuckled, dry and empty, before leaning to whisper into his ear once more.

"He will take everything from you Natsu. _Everything_ you hold dear, just because you care. Don't you see? They only died because you loved them." Her speech was interrupted by a roar. In the sky above them was a dark shape, one that Natsu could never forget.

Acnologia circled once more before stopping and charging his breath attack, the bright blue energy charging in his mouth. Natsu tensed, preparing to launch himself at the larger dragon. It didn't matter that he couldn't win, he had to try. Only, when he was about to push into the air a pair of arms wrapped around him, somehow preventing him from moving.

"You can't beat him Natsu, because you can't let go."

"No, I can't. I can't hurt you." He sobbed. He felt her nuzzle into his neck, and whisper in a voice that in no way matched her loving actions, rather being cold and menacing. They were the last words he heard before the blast shot from Acnologia's maw, destroying everything dear to him.

"Then I guess we'll die together."

••••••••••••••••••••••

"NOOOOO!" Natsu screamed as he shot up, his body naturally igniting and destroying the sheets that had covered him. Confused, he looked around his home, only to find it empty.

 _What was that?_ He thought to himself. For a moment, he just sat there, waiting, before he shrugged. Nightmares weren't new to him, though he couldn't remember any as vividly as the one he had just witnessed. He slowly laid back down, making a mental note to purchase more sheets the next day. He got comfortable before closing his eyes once more.

 _Bloody hands, fear of the death raining from above. He couldn't hurt her, he had to save her, but he couldn't save them all. He couldn't save them. She was gone, GONE!_

Instantly his eyes opened and he once again sat up quickly.

 _Well, I guess I'm done sleeping tonight._ He thought before getting out of bed, reaching for his jacket. Maybe a walk would help?

After putting his jacket on he walked over to the kitchen of his house. Nothing was in the fridge, but the fire from the stove had enough heat for him to easily start, effectively making a small snack for himself. The house was so quiet that night, but Natsu guessed that was only natural. Usually, Happy and Lisanna were there as well, making a fuss or cooking or complaining about the lack of fish. However, this night was different. With Mira and Elfman being home Lisanna was staying at her own house every night, and Happy had actually left the night before. He, Lily, and Carla were going on their own two week long training trip, hoping to train with their weapons.

Natsu sighed loudly as he walked out his front door, not bothering with putting his sandals as he went outside. A breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of the forest before stretching. Maybe a run would do him good. Running was better than walking, right?

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lisanna had been having a wonderful day. With her family back, she had finally gotten back into a routine with them. Mira was able to keep the house nice and clean, and they took turns cooking breakfast. For the first time in forever, it felt normal. After eating breakfast together they made their way to the guild, excited to see what the day would hold. Yet, something seemed off. As they walked into the building, they saw what it was.

Standing in the middle of the carnage of wooden tables and chairs were two mages, both panting as they prepared to go at each other once again. Liz was being held back by Hisui, while Laxus calmly help an irate Gajeel in place.

"Say that again scrapheap, and I'll show you just how conductive you can be!"

"Just try it sparkplug! Next time you dis Metalicana you'll find out just how strong an iron dragon can be!"

"Metaliwhatever is nothing compared to Valis!"

Lisanna blinked for a few seconds before sighing and heading towards the bar, where Kinana had already started working for the day.

"Hey Kinana? Have they been at it for long?"

"Long enough. They were both at the guild this morning, and somehow a simple comment on how Liz was tough ended in this." She shrugged. "What can you do?"

"Where's Erza? Usually I'd expect her to deal with something like this." Mira asked.

"She was here early as well, but her and Jellal went to prepare the training area for the training camp."

"Ah, okay." Lisanna said. Mira, though, had a sly look on her face.

"They went alone huh?" she asked. Kinana smiled and shook her head.

"No, they took Romeo, Wendy, and Gray as well. So… that probably means Juvia too." Mira pouted.

"Aww, that's no fun." Kinana laughed at that.

"You really do take pleasure from teasing them, don't you?" She asked. Mira nodded, smiling devilishly.

"We may not physically fight as often now, but she is still my rival!" She proclaimed, making Lisanna laugh. As she did a crash sounded from behind her and she grimaced. It sounded like one of the mages had escaped the person holding them back. A shout of "Manly!" echoed across the hall, marking Elfman's entrance. Soon enough a brawl had broken out, and Lisanna smiled brightly. It was amazing how many more of these brawls started when the Tenrou Team had returned.

A large shout echoed through the guild as the fighting escalated.

"WHAT ARE YOU BRATS DOING!" Master Makarov shouted from the top of the stairs, where he and Gildarts stood with their bags in hand. Atlas stood behind them, a bag of his own slung behind his back, smiling humorously. Makarov was not as amused, and with his giant arms he separated the guild.

"Now, I expect the best behaviour from you all. As soon as we leave you may feel free to make your way to the town center. Jellal just contacted me and said that he will be waiting there to transport everyone who is going there." There were nods all around.

"Where are you guys going Master?" Lucy asked from her seat.

"I have been called by the Wizard Saints. It's just a standard meeting, the Saints want to see how we should be organized now that I have seemingly returned from the dead. We will be meeting you in Crocus after the meeting."

"And I," Atlas said, "Will be going to be tracking down some of my older allies. Hopefully we can turn the tide of our battle with Acnologia if we increase our numbers. I have asked Gildarts to come with me, as we both feel the need to travel, and I have promised him that I would show him some of the outer reaches of the continent. We shouldn't return before the end of the games, so we cannot wait to see how strong you've gotten when we come back. However, I will return briefly at the end of the training for the dragon slayers."

"Ya hear that? We want you guys number one by the time we get back!" Gildarts proclaimed. He walked down the stairs, and went over to Cana, giving her a small card. "And this is for you daughter! If you ever need me, just give me a call and I'll be right there!" And with that he walked out the door, his hand waving over his shoulder as he left. Atlas laughed a little before bowing to the Master.

"May the fires of your guild will burn bright once more." Atlas said. Without another word, he too left. Liz sighed as they disappeared. She had hoped to be trained by Atlas too, but she couldn't complain.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room Cana was tearing her newly acquired card to pieces.

"Stupid old man, I didn't need him before, and I'll be fine now!" She announced.

"That's MANLY!"

"I'm a girl baka!" Cana yelled as she kicked Elfman. Makarov sighed as they began to fight once again.

"Speaking of bright fires, has anyone seen Natsu?" he asked. Lisanna frowned, she had yet to see him that day.

"Well, he won't miss training, so we shouldn't have to worry too much. Now, we're almost ready to start, does that sound good to everyone?" She yelled, halting the brawl with a hidden threat in her tone.

"Aye sir!" The remaining members yelled.

"Alright then! Everyone that's going to be joining us, meet at the Grand Fairy Arena in one hour! We'll make our trip from there to the training grounds, okay?" A resounding cheer went up from those that wanted to go, and Lisanna smiled before turning to Lucy.

"I'm going to check on Natsu, but we'll see you soon, 'kay?"

"Okay!" Lucy said. She supposed she could walk around town for an hour or so.

"Great! Can't wait to see you all there." Lisanna said as she walked out of the guild.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Meanwhile, in the forests surrounding Magnolia, a certain pink haired dragon was pounding on some trees. His jacket was discarded, sitting off to the edge of his training area as he worked. His muscles protested as he pushed them harder and harder A crack resounded through the foliage as he slammed through tree after tree. His stupid, stupid nightmare was really messing with him. He couldn't stay too long though, or people would wonder where he had gotten off to.

"There you are! What have you been doing?" a familiar voice cried in exasperation from behind him. Natsu turned to glance over his shoulder as Lisanna came out into the small clearing he had made. As she did her eyes widened, and Natsu took the opportunity to look down at himself. He was covered in scratches, and his skin was slightly glowing, his unique flames coming off in wisps if he moved too much. Whenever he was worked up he tended to vent magic like no one else.

"Umm… nothing?" He replied. Lisanna looked him up and down, and Natsu shrunk as her eyebrow raised slightly.

"Nothing? Natsu, the training camp starts in less than an hour."

"An hour?!" Natsu exclaimed. He looked up at the sky, and sure enough the sun was high and bright. "Huh, I guess it's about noon."

"You _guess_?!" Lisanna said, throwing her arms up in the air. Walking forward she came to stand beside him, taking notice of his flaming skin and his bruised hands. "Is everything alright Natsu?" She asked, her voice getting much softer. Honestly, as much as she cared for the pink-haired mage, sometimes he was too stubborn for his own good. She smiled encouragingly at him as he sighed.

"Ya, everything's fine." A glare replaced the smile. "Okay, fine. It was just a nightmare alright? It's just… I couldn't even defeat War. Hell, I was struggling against Famine!" He slammed his hand into another tree, anger prevalent in his voice. "Yeah, I was tired, and I had already fought a lot, but that shouldn't have mattered! I had to activate King's Transcendence to even get them to back off, and even then I think it just intimidated them! If they had actually tried to fight me, there's no way that I could have fought them off. If I can't even beat them, how can I hope to fight their master? Acnologia is stronger than them, way stronger. How can I protect everyone if I can't even protect myself?" His voice trailed off, and he looked down. Lisanna could see the tears in his eyes, flowing down his face. She leaned over and lifted his chin up to look her in the eyes, blue meeting black.

"I don't have all the answers Natsu, but I do know that what we can do outnumbers what we can't. We can fight, we can be there for each other, and right now we can and will train our friends to become much stronger than they are right now." She said with conviction. Natsu smiled a bit, then frowned.

"But what if it's not enough?" He asked quietly. Lisanna smiled softly and kissed him before looking right into his eyes again.

"We're Fairy Tail Natsu. With our Nakama behind us, there's nothing we can't do." Natsu smiled, a real smile this time, before nodding.

"You're right. Now," his voice lightened, "Let's get the training started."

••••••••••••••••••••••

The middle square of Magnolia was a sight to be admired at any time, especially with the Grand Fairy Arena standing strong, but the citizens could barely contain themselves as they watched the group of people that filled the square now. Natsu couldn't help but laugh as he approached, getting the attention of everyone.

"Alright guys, sorry for being late! Now, let's get inside the arena!" True to what he had said, he and Lisanna had showed up about 15 minutes after everyone else. He had been quite messy after his training, so Lisanna had insisted that he take a shower.

 _Not that that's all we did_ , Natsu though with a smirk, which in turn caused both Wendy and Erza's faces to go quite red as they imagined what the smirk meant. Lisanna, seeing his expression and the two girl's red faces, punched his shoulder.

"Baka. I can see what you're thinking. I don't think cuddling on the couch to dry off counts as anything that you can make them embarrassed with." She laughed, and the two girls returned to normal colors.

"Why are you ruining my fun Lisanna?" Natsu complained, but he couldn't quite contain the smile that tugged at the edge of his lips. All he got though was another light punch and a smirk in return.

"Cause you're being mean. Now let's go!" Laughing, the two walked through the gates and moved to the front of the group, in the middle of the arena where Jellal was already standing with the group he had taken before, three glowing portals set up behind them. They set up so they were standing beside him, and within a few minutes they had set up everyone in front of them.

"Alright," Jellal started, stepping forwards, "Welcome to training. Before we start, we're going to explain what is going to happen. First off, we're going to split you into three groups, of which each one of us is going to train with. Afterwards, we will begin immediately. Each group will be going through one of the portals behind us. The groups and which portals they will be going through has already been decided, so there will be no arguing. The first task we have prepared is simple. You must reach the camp we have set up. You can ask any questions you like, but we don't need to answer." He finished and stepped back, Natsu taking his place.

"And, at the base camp there is also a small feast that will be ready to eat by the time you get there! So, the way you get there, no matter what group you're with you will be tested. The purpose behind the trip is for us to see where you're at, both with magic and teamwork." Natsu stepped back as well after he finished, though he poked Lisanna in the side as she stepped past him. She glared at him, then turned back to the group.

"Now, every pay attention, I'm going to give out the groups. When I call your name come forwards and join the group I tell you too. Okay, with all that out of the way, let's get started!"

After some bustling and moving around (and in Gray's case stripping), they had themselves organized. Standing at the farthest left portal was Natsu's group, consisting of Liz, Wendy, Gajeel, and Laxus. The right portal had Jellal's group. He had Mira, Erza, Hisui, Gray, and Lucy. Finally, in the middle group were those going with Lisanna, namely Romeo, Elfman, Cana, Levy, and Juvia. Lisanna smiled and gestured towards the portals.

"Well, I wish you all good luck. You'll get clearer instructions once you're inside, so have fun!" With that she entered her portal, her team following behind her. As soon as they were through the portal closed behind them, and Natsu looked over at Jellal, who was moving his own team through ahead of himself.

"Hey Star-dork. I bet you my team makes it to the flag before yours does!" Jellal looked at him like he was an idiot before glancing behind Natsu and then himself. All their members had passed through. His look changed to a devious smile.

"Deal Salamander. Winner gets 100,000 Jewel?"

"Fine by me," Natsu said with a grin, "I could do with 100,000 Jewel. The winning team has to get a single hand on the flag." They moved together briefly and shook hands. "May the best team win." Natsu said before walking towards the portal.

"Oh," he heard as he stepped through, "We intend to."

••••••••••••••••••••••

The first thing that Wendy noticed when they stepped through the portal was that it was dark. Very dark. Despite waving her hands in front of her, she couldn't even see her hands.

"Where are we?" she asked. A shuffling came from her right, followed by a bang and a loud exclamation.

"Ow! The hell was that?"

"That was my face pipsqueak!"

Wendy stifled a giggle, it looks like Liz had found Gajeel. She felt someone ruffle her hair briefly, and Natsu's scent (charcoal, burning, a warmth like a summer breeze) filled the air around her.

"Ha, they're pretty funny, right?" He chuckled. Wendy nodded, but kept her own laughs to herself.

"Could you idiots be quiet for ten seconds? Now spill it Natsu, what are we doing?" Laxus chimed in.

"Welcome to the Dark Maze! It's called that because its dark and –" Natsu began, before Gajeel cut in.

"And it's a maze, we get it. What are we doing flame brain!" Natsu muttered something about bucket heads before responding to Gajeel's question, and once again Wendy stifled a giggle. Her big brother could be so petty.

Her mind stopped for a second as she considered her previous thought. _He really is my big brother, isn't he?_ She hadn't really believed Liz at first, but after watching him for a few days it was pretty obvious that he saw her like family. She smiled as she listened to him complain about Gajeel; it was nice to have a family.

She wasn't the only one that was trying not to giggle, though she was doing a much better job of hiding it than Liz, who was openly laughing at her master.

"Alright, if you are done interrupting me, I'll tell you what you have to do. First, make your way to the middle of the maze. Hidden there is a monster known as an Oni. Not sure what it looks like, but it's supposed to be a three-eyed demon of some kind. Also, it's only a couple weeks old, so it is only about the size of a human. And before you ask Liz, Oni's usually grow to be the size of a small mountain. Now, Oni's naturally absorb light in the area, which is why the cave is so dark. So, in order to get to the camp, you have to find your way around this black cave using any sense you want except your magic! I want you guys to be able to focus on your other senses just as good as sight. After that, beat the Oni. I'll be following you, but I won't be helping unless you guys are about to die, so don't count on me. You probably won't even know I'm there! All good?" Natsu said.

Wendy's eyes widened as she heard what they were hunting. Last time she had heard of a full-grown Oni the Wizard Saints had to send 3 of them to defeat it. _But,_ she countered, _this one is young, and Laxus, Liz, and Gajeel are all really strong._ She nodded to herself and started sniffing the air. If the Oni was strong, they should be able to smell the direction it was.

Unfortunately, they soon found that they were in a room, one without any openings.

"Hey, I got something!" Liz shouted from a few meters away. Wendy could hear the ground under her shift slightly as the older slayer shuffled along what was probably a wall. "This wall here was loose, and it smells different." Another shuffle filled the room and Wendy identified the scent of Gajeel (metallic and earthy, like a piece of metal that had been under the ground for a long time) as he approached. He took a sniff of the area that Liz was talking about.

"Smells like titanium, maybe a little bit copper. Probably like some kind of switch."

"Wow!" Wendy said, "You can smell all that?" She heard a scoff from the left, probably Laxus, as Gajeel answered.

"Of course I can! I have to be able to tell what different metals are so I can find iron!" He proclaimed.

"Okay lug nut, now let's get going." Liz said impatiently. Without a second thought she pushed the wall in and a rumble came from the other side of the room.

"C'mon, let's get this over with." Laxus said. Wendy nodded, before realizing no one could see here.

"Okay, let's go!"

Natsu smiled as they left the room. The maze he was sending them into wasn't easy. It had taken him nearly two hours to solve, and that was after smashing though some of the walls (Lisanna says that means he didn't really solve it). In all honesty, Wendy was probably their best bet, being able to feel the wind would come in handy, but that means she would have to speak up. Silently he walked out of the room behind them, listening as another argument between his student and Gajeel broke out before Laxus threatened to knock them both out. He chuckled. This was going to be interesting.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lucy had thought that going in the same group as Hisui, Erza, and Mira would make things easy, or at least safe. She had never been so wrong.

"Guuuuyyyysss!" She yelled as she ran towards the group. "Here they come!"

Apparently, Jellal had a sense of humor. Considering that all of the girls in their groups had magic that was very changeable, he had decided that fighting a small army of shapeshifters, called Obake, that lived in the mountains would be a good test of their strength. In their true forms, they sort of looked like small black fuzz balls, and were quite harmless. When Obake are calm, they usually appear as small creatures, like squirrels. That was alright. However, as Jellal had explained after their first run in with the creatures, the ones on this mountain had been infected by the dark magics of an Oni that lived deep in the mountain. Which lead them to go into a rage after feeling any kind of magic in the area. And the only way to get over the FREAKING CLIFF that Jellal wanted them to climb was to use magic. In other words, they were stuck.

They had tried a number of plans, good plans, but the vast numbers of Obake that lived in and around the cliffs was just too much. Fly over? The Obake just turned into a swarm of wyverns and other powerful flying beasts. Dig underground using Virgo? Giant moles, snakes, and worms of many kinds of creatures intercepted them. There seemed to be no end to the ways those damned creatures could stop them! But, as difficult as it seemed, they knew it was possible. Why? Because Jellal was ALREADY ON TOP OF THE CLIFF! That had lead them to their newest plan, one that Lucy did not like very much at all.

They had decided to lure the shapeshifters into a trap, where they would slide be forced to slide down Gray's ice into a pit that was filled with a piece of Eternal Ice, and hopefully the magic within would distract them long enough to let them get up the wall. Unfortunately, that meant that they had needed someone to act as bait…

"Please tell me your ready!" She shrieked as she ran into the clearing they had decided to use. Standing near the middle was Erza in her Purgatory Armor, and next to her Mira had a darkness blast prepared in her Satan Soul. Hisui had been responsible for drawing out any stragglers that Lucy had missed, and who knows where Gray went after he had made his slide.

"We're ready Lucy!" Mira yelled.

"Yes, draw them towards us," Erza called, "We will handle it from there." Lucy nodded as she ran past them, dropping to her knees. She was quite tired. In order to get all of their attentions, she had to put as much power into her spell as she could. In hindsight though, it was nice to know her new spell worked, though it looked like she would need to use her magic again soon if she wanted to be of any help! The Obake were still coming, enticed by the magic that was being used against them. The plan seemed to be working though, as the group knocked beast after beast into the pit.

"Lucy!" Erza's voice broke her free of her thoughts, and she paled as she saw a large creature running at full speed at her. It was an odd combination of some dragon like creature and a bear, but more importantly it was only a second away from swinging its dangerous looking claws through the space she was. "Lucy! MOVE!" Erza yelled again, accompanied with a grunt as she slammed another of the shapeshifters into the pit. The panic was clear in her voice, and Lucy narrowed her eyes slightly.

 _They are always the ones that save me. Well, not this time._ It was time to put her new spell to the test.

" **Star Dress, Leo the Lion Form!** " A glow surrounded her as she let her magic form around her, shaping the air. This had been her answer to her lack of physical strength. Before the light had faded, she jumped. High in the air she flipped, trying to be as graceful as she could. She wasn't used to this kind of movement, but she could manage.

Erza slammed her club into one final Obake and spun, trusting Mira to take care of the remaining monsters. Hopefully she wasn't too late and Lucy was fine. How could she have let one of the creatures past her!? One mistake, and now Lucy had to pay for it. Or… did she?

Erza slowed as she witnessed a glowing Lucy jump straight into the air, much higher than Erza thought she was capable of. At the highest point of the flip the glow flashed, and when the light faded Erza couldn't help but feel just a little impressed. Instead of her normal attire, Lucy was now wearing a black dress, seemingly designed with battle in mind. As she dropped she spun, a key in hand.

" **Open, Gate of the Lion: Leo!** " She yelled, and on the ground Loke appeared. "Now, together Loke!" She yelled. Loke nodded before jumping up into the air, both of them around the height of the creature's face.

" **Regulus Impact!** " They yelled together, Loke's fist and Lucy's foot slamming into the Obake's face as it was sent flying into the hole. Erza stared for a second before moving again, coming up beside them.

"Impressive Lucy. And Loke, it's been a while." She said as she approached. Loke nodded at her, smiling.

"Sure has Erza, though it's been longer for me. How is every one doing?"

"Well, I believe."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Fairy Tail! It looks like my time is almost up, Lucy used a lot of her magic to get their attention." Loke said, looking down at Lucy, who was catching her breathe on the ground. Erza nodded, bidding him farewell with a light (painful) punch to the shoulder. After he disappeared she helped Lucy to her feet and called Mira over. The white haired 'demon' approached, having already dropped her Satan Soul.

"Wow Lucy, that was pretty impressive!" She said as she approached the now standing Stellar Spirit Mage. Lucy smiled at the compliment.

"Thanks Mira! It's one of the three brand new spells that I have now." She replied. Erza looked down at the dress, which promptly shattered into pieces of light leaving Lucy in her normal clothing.

"If you don't mind me asking, how does it work?" Erza asked. If she didn't know any better, she would have just assumed it was re-quip magic like her own.

"Oh, it's actually really simple. All I do is wrap my magic around me, like a dress of sorts, and call on the bond between spirit and wizard that exists. If the bond is strong enough, I take on some of their powers!"

"I see. It is a very useful spell." Erza said before turning to the pit. "That ice wont distract them for long, so we should go to the cliff to see if there's a way up."

"Wait, shouldn't we wait for Gray and Hisui?" Lucy asked. Erza turned to her and glared.

"I said let's go to the cliff. Gray and Hisui are strong enough to deal with whatever trouble they have gotten themselves into. Am I understood?" As Erza spoke a red aura started forming around her, and Lucy gulped. Sometimes she forgot how scary Erza could be.

"Y-y-y-yes Ma'am!" she answered, and she could hear Mira giggling, but she didn't care. She'd take Mira's giggles and teasing over Erza's wrath any day. Soon they had reached the edge of the cliffs, and stared up at the huge cliff face in front of them. Jellal was still on top of the face, though he was now sitting, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the cliff.

"Now where could have those two gotten off to?" Mira said, looking around. She hadn't seen Gray since the start of their plan, and Hisui had disappeared too.

"Hey guys! What took you so long?" A call came from above them looking up, Mira's eyes widened. Up above them, now sitting with the white robed Jellal, was the very two they had been looking for.

"Gray?" Lucy called up. The raven-haired mage smiled and gave a wave, Hisui laughing and waving as well.

"How did you get up there? And why did you not tell us how to do it first?" Erza yelled up. Gray immediately paled, and Hisui's laughter petered off as the glare from the redhead focused on her too.

"I'm sorry Erza." She yelled back, bowing, "But we only just found it. Just walk around the cliff and there's a path!" Erza glared for a moment more before nodding. Mira laughed and poked the armoured mage in the side as they walked over and began teasing her. Lucy wisely remained quiet.

"Awww, Eeerza didn't get to impress Jellal, did you?" her voice rang out. Erza's face went red, but her tone remained as stoic as ever.

"I don't know what you mean. Lucy! Hurry up, you're lagging behind." Lucy jumped at her voice and walked just a little faster (though not too much faster, she didn't want to get too close to the two S-class mages just in case).

"Avoiding the question Erzy? I'll get the answer out of you eventually…" she trailed off, a devious smile on her face.

"Get what out of who?" Jellal asked as they came around the last bend in the path. Erza turned, muttering about stupid demons. Mira smiled innocently and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could formulate a reply Jellal continued. "Alright, that didn't take too long. Remember, magic isn't always the solution. The only reason this was a difficult task was because you immediately decided to use your magic, therefore calling attention to yourselves. Magic is a great tool, but that doesn't make it the only answer. Now, who's ready to start the hike?" Lucy looked up at the mountain ahead of them. This was going to be a long day…

The ground shook as they set off, and Lucy watched as Jellal smirked slightly. She shivered as she prayed that they didn't have to face whatever was causing that booming.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Seriously?" Natsu asked himself as he watched the show. The group had only taken an hour to solve the maze, though if it hadn't been for Wendy screaming for them to all, and he swore this was exactly what she said, "Shut your damn mouths for one second you dense, idiotic, big-headed morons!" they probably would have been there for much longer. Though, if Natsu was being honest, seeing Wendy lose her temper was something he knew he would treasure for a long time. He was glad that she hadn't cussed or anything though, no doubt Lisanna would blame that on him. Now however, they were facing a different challenge, and Wendy's mood had yet to improve.

"Will you please move!?" She yelled, running past a certain Iron Dragon Slayer. Natsu chuckled as he heard her, still trying to be polite even as she was screaming at her partners. A yelp sounded from where she just ran by.

"Hey!" Gajeel yelled, only to grunt a moment later when something slammed into him.

"Where is it?!" Liz yelled.

"I can't see anything!" Gajeel screamed back.

"Its right behind you!"

"What is?!"

"The… the thing!"

"Thanks for nothing sparky!"

Natsu scoffed, laughing at the ridiculousness of his trainees. He had told them to use their other senses until they found the Oni, but the group had somehow taken that to mean that they couldn't use their magic to fight the thing either. He chuckled again as Gajeel screamed out a rather… strong… word as the Oni tackled him from the side, his Iron Dragon Scales saving him from too much damage. Natsu could only pray that Wendy didn't decide to use that word in the future or Lisanna would have his head.

A few more minutes passed before the sound of the dragon slayers slamming against the wall began to stop amusing him. He stood and stretched, then took a deep breath.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING? I SAID NO MAGIC IN THE MAZE, NOT WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING THE DAMN DEMON!" He nodded to himself, then sat back down. He hoped one of them hit the third eye (which is what the creature used to trap light) of the stupid Oni soon, he was getting tired of this darkness.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lisanna couldn't honesty say that she was surprised. When they had laid out the plans for their first day of training, she hadn't said anything when the two guys had laid out their intricate plans, pride practically beaming off them as they showed off their skill as trainers.

She didn't have the heart to tell them that she was just planning on giving her team a nice hike, broken into segments that were separated by show and tells of their magic. It was a stress-free afternoon, and by the end of it she knew exactly where everyone stood in terms of power and skill. She sighed as she helped Juvia and Levy prepare the supper. Her team had been given the task of preparing dinner, since they were the first to arrive. Sure, Elfman and Romeo complained a little bit, but the ominous booming that sounded through the mountains that they were camping silenced them quickly enough.

A few hours passed, and slowly the explosive sounds began to taper off. Her group had already begun to make bets as to which group would be returning first.

"Hey! I see someone!" Cana called out.

"Me too!" Romeo shouted back. Lisanna laughed, since the two people were on separate sides of the camp. She walked to the center and pulled out a big flag with the Fairy Tail symbol in a proud golden colour. Knowing those two they had their own bet as well, she could only hope Natsu didn't bet too much…

"Here they come!"

Clouds of dust were kicking up as the two groups reached the final stretch. Natsu and Jellal seemingly appeared at the flag, both shouting at their teams, encouraging them.

"You've got this!"

"Are you Dragon Slayers or not!"

As the groups got closer, their drive to win increased. Erza requiped into her Flight Armour, Mira into her Satan Soul. Hisui, Gray and Lucy called out in encouragement as their two speediest rushed for the flag. Meanwhile, Liz had also shot off, her body covered in her blue electricity as she sped across the ground. They raced against each other, but slowly Liz began to speed up.

"You got this Liz! Don't let them win!" Natsu yelled, smirking. Jellal looked over at his smirk and frowned, then smiled darkly.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch Natsu." He said. Natsu looked at him and frowned.

"I don't have any eggs. What the hell are you talking about Jellal?" The bluenette rolled his eyes at the dragon's words.

"Figure of speech Natsu. Just watch and learn. NOW GUYS!"

As he called out, a couple things happened, all in the span of a few moments. First, Mira began flying straight up in the air before calling out, " **Dark Switch!** ". As she said that, Erza blurred out of existence, and on the other side of the flag Liz did the same. A second later they reappeared, only now it was Erza that was closer, having switched places with the younger girl. Next it was Erza's turn, as she called on her own magic. " **Requip: Armour of the Fallen Star!** "

A bright flash came from the mage, and before it had even cleared Erza hat shot forward, her speed rivaling that of Jellal's. As the light faded her newest armour was proudly presented to all those present, and Natsu had to admit it looked impressive. With the blue colour scheme and the red runes, along with the wicked looking golden sword, some might say that she looks exactly like the namesake of the armour. However, with Jellal standing right there it was impossible to miss what the armour was actually modelled after.

As Natsu was musing on Erza's new armour, Jellal was brimming with pride. That, and joy at the 100,000 Jewel that he was about to win.

"Don't count your omelettes yet Jellal." Natsu's voice came from beside him.

"It's eggs Natsu. Omelettes don't hatch, so it doesn't work." Jellal sighed. Natsu huffed, smoke coming out of his nose as he did. "Besides, Erza is about to grab the pole."

True to his word, Erza had avoided the variety of attacks that Liz had started shooting at her, deflecting some with her sword even, and was now practically on top of the flag. She turned and smiled victoriously at Liz and the rest of her team as she went to take the final steps. As she did a large explosive sound came from behind her, and she hesitated. It was only for a second, barely a twitch, but it was enough. She reached forward, intent on grabbing the pole, when something shot past her.

Or rather, someone.

A flash of blue, moving faster than she could accurately see, shot forwards in the air, flying by at around head level. Instinctively, Erza swung with her sword, trying to knock the shape out of the air with the flat of her blade. The shape was to nimble though, and the air seemed to bend with them as they dropped under the blade. It was at this moment that Erza realized just how short the figure was. She looked down, eyes widening as she saw something she didn't think she had ever seen before. Staring back at her was a victorious expression that she had never seen on the face of the smallest Dragon Slayer, her eyes alight with joy and her lips pulled back in a feral smile as she dropped lower to the ground, clearly at home in the air. Realistically, Erza knew all this was happening in milliseconds, but everything seemed to move so slow as she saw one of Wendy's feet that was glowing a bright blue slip down and make contact with the ground, before a cyclone of air pushed her forwards, blowing Erza back as she did.

And just like that the moment was over. Erza watched as she flew backwards in the wind, unprepared for the strength of the gale, as Wendy shot like a bullet and grabbed the pole, holding tight as she began to spin around it at high speeds.

 _Thank goodness it was stuck in the ground well. Still, I can't believe she beat us!_ Erza thought. The thought didn't last long though as she heard the cheerful giggling coming from the young girl, and watched as Natsu rushed forwards and gave her a big hug, lifting her up in the air and spinning the younger girl around, cheering for her. Wendy looked so happy, enough so that she seemed to forget to be embarrassed as Natsu praised her. Looking behind them, Erza saw Lisanna smiling warmly at the two Dragon Slayers. Sighing, Erza let her head rest on the ground. Hearing familiar footsteps, she voiced the only question on her mind.

"What happened?" Jellal's chuckle reached her ears as he offered her a hand, which she took. He gestured with his head as he helped her up, motioning to the area behind her. As she turned, she couldn't help the strangled laugh that came out of her throat. Standing back where they had been at the beginning of the impromptu race stood Laxus and Gajeel. Both were sparking, and Erza simply stared at the sight.

"What happened to Gajeel's hair?" She managed to ask between the giggles that were escaping her lips. She was usually more reserved than this, but something about the grizzly slayer standing with his hair all pointing straight up in the air seemed to break down her reservations. Jellal laughed as well before explaining.

"Well apparently, as you and Liz were racing, Wendy had an idea. She had Gajeel hold her up on one of his Iron Dragon's Clubs while she charged as much wind magic into her feet as she could. Then, all at once, she had Gajeel extend his club forward, and Laxus pumped as much lightning into Gajeel as he could. The lightning travelled up his iron arm and reacted with the magic in one of Wendy's feet, creating an explosion that propelled Wendy forward like a bullet. Then, when she reached you, she used the wind to push herself downwards, then she shot all of her gathered wind magic at the ground all at once, launching herself once more. It was impressive to say the least." He explained, ending it on a bittersweet note. Erza raised an eyebrow, to which Jellal looked away. "While it is great to see someone who doesn't normally come up with such plans take the lead, it regrettably has another consequence."

"100,000 Jewel, Jellal! 100,000 Jewel!" Natsu's cheering carried across the field, and Jellal grimaced at Erza's resultant glare.

"What was that?" Erza asked.

"Nothing!" Jellal said, and Natsu laughed as he turned around halfway across the field. He walked over to Lisanna, who had just finished sending off the groups to the dinner that they had planned.

"So 100,000 Jewel?" Lisanna asked, eyebrow raised. Natsu laughed and slung his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that we shouldn't have bet on the others, but you know…" he trailed off, smiling. Lisanna rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"What?"

"Mr. Nightlight over there just paid for our night in Crocus!" Natsu finished cheerfully. "So no complaining! Now, let's get going! They're going to eat all of the food!"

Lisanna laughed as she was pulled along by the excited (and hungry) Dragon Slayer. This training was going to be tough, and she was sure that the others would hate them by the end of it, but it would be worth it. As they approached, they saw the group all laughing and eating together, everyone congratulating a beaming Sky Dragon Slayer. As she sat down next to Natsu, who was already in a heated argument with Gray and Gajeel. As she turned to talk to Mira, who was interested in what she had her group do, she let one final thought cross her mind.

 _Just you wait Fiore. We're coming back!_

* * *

 **And there we are! Just so you guys know, I'm not planning on spending anymore time on training. Yes, I will go over more of what they did, but it will mostly be through flashbacks and references in the Grand Magic Games arc. There should be one more (short) chapter before we really get started with that arc, so get ready! As always R &R please! See you guys later!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone, Glitch here! Not much to say here, but I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I dont own Fairy Tail :'(**

Chapter 9

Makarov didn't know what he had expected. A routine meeting they had said, but the Wizard Saints never did anything simply. For some reason he had assumed that they would be done in a few hours, then be on their separate ways.

Three days later, and they still hadn't even started on the business they had called him there for. He leaned over to the closest Saint.

"Jura, what is going on here? It seems that there is unresolved business here from the last seven years!" Makarov sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Well Makarov, that wouldn't be too far off." Said Saint felt his jaw hit the floor.

"But… why?"

"After your disappearance, the magic council decided that they were going to play a much more prominent role than they had been in the past. For two years, they reigned supreme, and within this time they started creating a number of decrees that severely limited what mage guilds could and couldn't do. One of the final decrees that they passed basically changed the Wizard Saints from a council of the strong and wise into an elite task force for their own purposes." Jura said, half paying attention to the meeting going on. Of the Ten Wizard Saints seats, only 6 were filled. One was missing, as God Serena had decided not to attend, but the other three seats were apparently permanently vacant now. Two dead, while the third had quit.

"So?" Makarov prompted after listening to the meeting for another moment. It was nothing major, something about the costs of repair for something that God Serena had broken a few years back.

"So, since none of us wanted to become dogs of the council, we just didn't meet. Ever." Jura finished. Makarov couldn't help but laugh, though he muffled it with his coat.

"You said that they reigned supreme for two years? What happened after that?" He asked after his chuckles subsided, his curiosity going into overdrive.

"You should be able to guess. After two years, a certain fire mage reappeared, and with him came destruction and chaos."

"Natsu?" Makarov questioned.

"Natsu." Jura confirmed. "As soon as he heard of the rules that the council put into place he set about breaking every single one of them. One by one, he broke what he called 'stupid rules', which may or may not include doing things like burning the Fairy Tail symbol into the side of the Council Building and 'accidentally' destroying a few mountains while doing a simple extermination job. The council was furious, and tried to take him in, but no one they sent could even touch him. After that he set about making sure his displeasure was made known to all, and trust me Makarov, when I say that everyone knew he was upset, I mean everyone. Including the one and only King of Fiore. Somehow, Natsu managed to get into his good books, and through his complaining the King learned of how unfair the council was being. After that it went back to normal."

"So why didn't you meet after that?"

"Laziness for the most part. God Serena oversees calling the meetings, and after 2 years of nothing we just didn't think to keep them going. The only reason we are meeting now is due to you being back from the dead. We figured that with your return, and the loss of three Wizard Saints, we should once again fill the ranks and set up our ranks."

"And that is exactly what we are going to be doing, if you two would stop talking." Came the irate voice of Hyberion. Makarov just smiled and nodded, a twinkle in his eye as he did.

"Alright then, on to the topic of our newest members. We have all put forth those that we believe are capable of taking up the position, and earlier this morning we cast our votes. We require three new members, so let us see who we have voted on." As he spoke, lacrima screens lit up in front of each of the members. "Now, for our first candidate…"

••••••••••••••••••••••

It had been a long (long, long, LONG for our resident dragon slayers) trip on the train, but the group had finally arrived. As they took their first steps off the train, Hisui ran a few feet forwards before spinning around.

"Well everyone, welcome to my home! The Capital of Fiore, Crocus!" She announced, her arms spread wide. Natsu nodded, he had to admit he was impressed, despite having been there before. He smiled as he watched the reactions of his friends. He let them stare in wonder for a few minutes, most of them ogling the castle and stadium that were visible in the distance, before he cleared his throat.

"Alright you lot, we've got to get to our hotel before anything else! Remember, you're free to do whatever you want, but you have to be in your room by midnight tonight for the beginning of the Grand Magic Games. That alright for everyone?"

"AYE SIR!" The group cheered! Natsu smiled brightly as they did, not missing the people that were glancing in their direction and whispering. It seemed that some of them recognized the stronger members that were present, and if the excited way they were talking was any indication, people were already getting excited.

Suddenly, Natsu found himself being pulled out of his thoughts as a weight settled on his arm.

"So… when does our night begin?" Lisanna asked, smiling brightly. Natsu laughed and briefly let his cheek nuzzle the top of her head.

"As soon as we get set up at the inn. Once everyone has their rooms, me and you will hit the town. It'll be the best date ever, courtesy of Jellal!" He said, and smirked as he heard Erza berating Jellal from behind him.

Slowly, the group made their way to the inn they were going to be staying at, the Honey Bone Inn. Natsu sighed in relief as the final members of the guild trickled in through the doors. Every time he turned away from them, someone had been distracted. He supposed it was only natural, but it was annoying as hell. Walking up to the receptionist he forced a smile on his face and asked for their keys.

Finally, after a rather complicated process of deciding who was staying where and a final reminder to be in their designated rooms when the games finally began, he walked out the front door with Lisanna following closely. He swore, the guild was ten times harder to manage with the return of the Tenrou Team, but he couldn't help the grin that forced its way on his face. If he was being honest, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Whatcha smiling about?"

"Oh nothing. Just reminiscing."

"Yeah, the group makes it much more entertaining, don't they?" Natsu laughed before standing up.

"That's for sure! Now come on, we have a little while before the teams have to be back, so let's go make the most of the night! So long as we avoid those brats, I really don't have the patience to deal with their constant challenges tonight."

"Okay then, we'll just have to avoid them. Now let's go!"

"They liiiike each other!" a voice called out from the building as they left, their laughter filling the air.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lucy sighed as she walked through the streets. They'd only been in Crocus for a few hours, and already she was bored. Almost as soon as they had arrived at the hotel, the entirety of the group had disappeared. The city was exciting yes, but she couldn't shake the nerves that came with the Grand Magic Games. She only had till midnight before the games started, and she had to be back in her room. She laughed to herself as she remembered when they announced the team for the games, or rather when Natsu announced the decision that the Master had mailed him. Apparently the meeting had gone much longer than he had anticipated, so he wouldn't be arriving until the beginning of the games.

"Alright you lot!" Natsu had yelled out, "The team for the games is… WILL YOU SHUT UP ICE PRINCESS? Thank you stripper, and get some pants on. Anyways, the team is Erza, Gray, Lucy, Liz, and Hisui!"

The whole guild had cheered, but Lucy and a few others were confused. While she had grown stronger over the past little while, with all the training, she didn't think she was anywhere near Natsu's level. But, if that was Master's decision then who was she to question it?

So now here she was, dressed in a light jacket with some fingerless gloves on. Normally she wouldn't be wearing them, but the night air was beginning to get a chill. Another sigh slipped through her lips before a sign caught her attention. One that she had definitely seen before.

Curious Curios for the Magically Inclined. She looked around, then began walking towards the store. She and Sting had met up once more since their initial foray into the store, but the shopkeeper had yet to show. He had given them a message though, via Zeref, that said that they shouldn't bring anyone who wasn't a part of the ancient races into the store. She shook her head as she reached forward to grab the handle, when to her shock the door began to open on its own. She turned away from the door quickly, and ducked behind a small shrubbery that was nearby.

"Yeah, yeah, shut it old man. It's a flower, I could have went anywhere!" A familiar voice called out, followed by a mop of pink hair. Out of the store walked none other than Natsu, a rose in hand. The rose itself was beautiful, a rainbow of colours that seemed to shift back and forth. Natsu laughed at the unheard response. His grin lasted until he shut the door, at which point his eyes widened as he took a sniff of the air. He glanced around before disappearing in a flash of flame.

Not a second after he had left (muttering about some damn brats), a flash of white sprinted into the square.

"Damn!" Sting yelled out, "I thought I heard Natsu!" Lucy blinked, then smiled.

"I think you just missed him Sting." He turned and looked at her, then smiled.

"Hey Lucy! That sucks, but I'm sure that I'll have a chance to see him later. Are you here for the games?"

"You bet! How come you want to see Natsu?" At this a slight blush covered his cheeks as he looked down sheepishly.

"Well, Natsu has been my hero since I was a little kid. It's been my dream to beat him since then too! But he hasn't taken up my challenge, not even once!" Lucy blinked. Natsu, not taking up a challenge? That was different. "Though, that's probably my fault. Me and Rogue tried to challenge him once, not too long after he reappeared. He wasn't in the mood, but we didn't really care." He shivered. "That's when _that_ girl stepped in. She was the master then, though I heard that she stepped down recently. She was so angry, and immediately attacked us when we… well, we may have insulted her."

"You didn't." Lucy remembered the fight between Lisanna and Gray. She was scary then, so Lucy didn't even want to think what she was like when angry.

"Yeah. Not our proudest moment. She attacked me, and Rogue got blindsided by that little lightning bolt Fulmen. While it wasn't Natsu, it was still a fun fight! Took some effort, but eventually we won. Since then we've trained like crazy, and Milady says that each of us is now around Natsu's level, and since he's here he must be in the games, so I'm looking forward to beating the crap out of him this week!"

Lucy blinked. Sting, around Natsu's level? Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, then she shrugged. She had never seen him fight, so she guessed that anything could be possible.

"So, you want to go in?" She asked, gesturing to the door. Sting looked over, then smiled brightly.

"Sure!" The two walked through the door.

And immediately ducked as a massive book nearly took off their heads.

"Damn you, you freaking useless, good for nothing, portrait burning, prince of embers. Next time he come in here I'm going to show him just how special my store is. Not sure how though. I'd trap him in the hell closet, but he'd probably enjoy that. What sort of demon is he?" A voice ranted. Lucy looked up from her position on the floor.

Standing behind the counter was an elderly man. His hair was short and gray, and his eyes seemed to be glowing slightly. Next to him was none other than Zeref, who was oddly dressed in a simple shirt with the Fairy Tail mark on its back in white. Sting's eyes arrowed at that, but then his attention was brought back to the older gentleman, who was now looking at them.

"Ah, you two must be Sting and Lucy. Sorry you had to see that, I'm just a little annoyed at one of our customers. Anyways, the name's Lucian. What can I do for the two of you today?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but unfortunately, Sting beat her to it.

"Why are you wearing that shirt?" He asked, looking at Zeref. The immortal looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before answering.

"I happen to be cheering for them in the Grand Magic Games. They are by far my favorite guild, and I'm quite sure of their victory."

"And why would that be?" Sting almost spat. Lucy looked at him oddly, not understanding his anger.

"Why, because Natsu Dragneel is participating. Jellal Fernandes as well. With the two of them competing, the competition is almost assured. Although, I heard that one or two of the wizard saints are participating as well, so we'll see." At this point Sting was practically seething.

"Why would you cheer for them? Those cocky bastards walk around like they're the best, yet they've never gotten above third place! I'll prove it to you, this year we'll make sure to cream every one of those fairy scum we face! And as for Natsu, Rogue and I are both strong enough to beat him, so he's not an issue." His rant was interrupted as Zeref, who before know had only ever smiled twice in their presence, broke out into laughter.

"You?! Defeat Natsu? That is by far the best joke I've heard all year!" Lucy frowned as he laughed. She kept seeing these similarities in his actions, like how she could have sworn she'd heard his laughter before. Her frown only deepened as she realized just what Sting had said. Anger coursed through her, but before she could say anything Sting (who was fuming at this point) got close and personal with Zeref.

"Say that again. I dare you. Fairy Tail is weak, half their members are useless, and the other half are weak. Only a few of them are even close to being worthy of being called strong, so don't be surprised when Sabertooth destroys them this year." Zeref frowned darkly, and Sting jumped back as a black aura erupted around him, his usually black eyes glowing red.

"Don't mistake my joking and teasing as recognizing you as my equal little kitten. You have a long time before you can even think of challenging me, let alone being on my level. I will not have you insult Mavis' guild in front of me anymore than you already have. Now leave, before I lose my patience." Sting flinched back as another wave of power flowed off of the dark mage.

"Fine, let's go Lucy." He said as he made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle he looked back, waiting for Lucy's response. Lucy, though, hadn't moved except for the shaking that had covered her form.

"Is that what you think about us?" Her quiet voice filled the air. "Cocky bastards, huh? Well let me tell you something!" She raised her head, and Sting watched the tears flow from her eyes. She reached down and grabbed one of the gloves on her hands and ripped it off, and in a flash of pink her guild mark was displayed. "My family in Fairy Tail suffered for years after my group disappeared! They mourned for us, worked for us, and stayed as strong as they could! So now it's our turn to repay the favor, to make sure they know that we care about them JUST AS MUCH AS THEY CARE ABOUT US! So next time you think you're half as strong as any Fairy Tail mage, think again Sting, because we have something you'll never have. We have each other, and that's more than enough TO TAKE YOU GUYS DOWN! SO LOOK OUT SABERTOOTH, BECAUSE FAIRY TAIL IS COMING FOR YOU!" With that she walked forward and slapped him with the back of her hand, and he fell through the door into the street. Before slamming it closed as he sat in the street she left him with one more remark. "That was the first time this guild mark with leave you sprawled on the floor, but not the last! You can count on that."

She turned back to Lucian and Zeref, both of which were staring at her. She took a few seconds to breathe and calm down before opening her mouth to apologizing. Before the words could leave her lips though, Zeref smiled warmly at her (WHY WAS HIS SMILE SO DAMN FAMILIAR?).

"You really are a part of Mavis' guild. Good luck Heartfilia, I hope you do well." With that he disappeared, and Lucy was left with Lucian, who was also smiling warmly.

"That was some speech kid. It's nice to know that someone like you was chosen as a customer of my store. Now, what can I do for you?" Lucy closed her eyes for a second then looked at Lucian, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"It looks like I'm hunting tigers now. So, what do you have for Celestial Wizards?"

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Come on Gajeel! We're going to be late.

Gajeel muttered to himself as Levy grabbed his arm, resisting the urge to pull away as her hand hit a rather sensitive bruise. His head was aching, his body was sore, and his magic was acting up, but the least he could do was try to hide it from Levy. If she knew just how much pain he was in then she would worry, and that would just be a whole other hassle.

Besides, she was enjoying herself looking at all the things that Crocus had to offer.

As he let her drag him off to the next attraction (though he didn't know if a library counted as an attraction) he let his thoughts wander. Near the end of the training week, Atlas Flame had returned. At that point they had pulled him and the lightning chick off to the side and told them that the next day they would be testing them to see if they were strong enough to break the seals if the two dragon slayers still wanted too. Liz had adamantly said yes, and Gajeel had nodded his head.

That night had been hell. He thought that his mate would be fine with it, but he still had to ask. And there was the problem. How could he ask her if SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS NEAR HER? After failed attempt after failed attempt he eventually just grabbed her and dragged her off into the forest. Thinking back on it, doing that when she was in the middle of a conversation with Cana probably wasn't his brightest idea, but he was getting annoyed.

"What do you want Gajeel?" She asked with irritation. He smirked at the memory. That was a side of her that not many got to see, but one that she had no problem showing to him. He thought it was adorable how the shrimp seemed to think she was intimidating him. Then he winced as he remembered what had come next. How he, in his exasperation, had simply let it out. He was never doing that again.

Ever.

"Levy, listen. You are my mate. If I become a dragon shrimp, you won't be human anymore. Not really. So it's up to you, do I become a dragon or not?" That had shut her up, but only for a moment. After a second she started sputtering, which went on for a few minutes before Gajeel grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Levy. This is up to you. I'll survive either way, it's you that will be affected. So what's it going to be." She looked up into his eyes, and Gajeel knew what her answer was. Her head dropped and she leaned forwards, resting her forehead against his chest.

"I'm scared Gajeel."

"I know."

"Everything's going to change after this." Gajeel shook his head.

"Not everything shrimp. Look at Lisanna, she isn't that different, not really. We'll still have Fairy Tail, all our friends. So don't go thinking you're throwing it all away, got it?" He felt her smile against his chest.

"Okay," came her quiet response.

Gajeel bit back a groan as Levy jerked on him again as they stopped by a dress shop. The morning after their conversation (which Cana had overheard, damn drunk), the dragons had undergone the ceremony to destroy the seal, warning them that it was going to hurt. And hurt it did. It felt like someone had decided to rip his heart out of his chest, then fill the hole that was left with molten steel. His body felt like it was covered in bruises, and his skin was incredibly sensitive, his back in particular. His head was pounding, and perhaps the worst thing was he had _too much power_. It felt like it was bursting from him, more than he had ever even thought possible. And of course, it hurt like hell.

"Gajeel! Come look at this!" Levy called out. Gajeel wandered over, smirking as he caught sight of her guild mark on her back. The white part of the mark had become a light grey instead, and was now surrounded by a metallic dragon.

"I'm coming short stuff!" He looked over at a clock as he went. It was around 10:00 now, so that meant he had about an hour or so before he should probably head back to the hotel. When he hadn't made the team for the games he had been royally pissed, but as it turned out the Master had a different plan for him and the others. He couldn't wait. Speaking of not waiting…

Reaching out he grabbed Levy's wrist and pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. She blushed and looked up at him with a questioning gaze. He felt a blush rising and tried to supress it.

"It's not like anyone is around… and the games start in a few hours, so why don't we just take it slow, alright shrimp?" Levy smiled warmly up at him (which may have halted all thoughts in his head) before nodding and nuzzling into his arms.

"I hear that there's this really great place just out of the town, it only takes about ten minutes of hiking after a teleportation lacrima to get to, and it overlooks the mountain range just out of town."

"Sounds good to me, I don't really care where we go." Levy smiled and laughed, before pulling out of his arms and running towards the travel shop, leaving him to run after her. Ten minutes later they found themselves at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the last bit of light that was setting behind the mountains. There they sat for what seemed like forever, till the light was entirely gone. Eventually Gajeel stood up and stretched.

"Alright, we should be heading back. I've got to be in the team's room by midnight." Levy yawned as she stood and nodded.

"Okay, let's get you going Gajeel." Gajeel took a few steps, but slowed to a stop before turning to look at Levy. Said girl scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you doing Gajeel, we need to get going."

"I know." But he didn't move, save to reach out and grab Levy by the shoulders.

"Gajeel?"

"Shut up shrimp." Levy frowned.

"That's not very nice! Why wou – oomph!" Her protests cut off as Gajeel pulled her close, letting his lips fall onto her. For a second she sat there in shock, before she kissed him back with far more enthusiasm than he was ready for. They were lost, standing in the flickering light, lost in each other. And there they would have stayed if it wasn't for one thing.

The flickering light.

" **I knew that I smelled him!** " a familiar voice filled the air. Like they had been shocked, Gajeel and Levy separated, both blushing as hard as they possibly could. Standing before them in all his glory was the Cataclysm Dragon, his black scales illuminated by the glowing red lines on his form, and the crimson black flames that surrounded him. On his back was Lisanna, a bright grin on her face. A flash of flames filled the air, and when the massive column of fire disappeared the dragon was gone, and in his place was a grinning Natsu carrying Lisanna on his back.

"Natsu. Lisanna! What are you guys doing out here?" Levy asked, not meeting their gaze. Natsu laughed.

"Same as you it seems, catching the sunset. Only, while we were at it we decided to take a flight as well." Lisanna said as she got off Natsu's back. "Just you wait Levy, once Gajeel can transform you'll be begging him to take you up their too! There's nothing quite like flying on the back of a dragon. Oh, and of course, there's my favorite trick as well." She smiled coyly, "One I'm sure you'll love too. You fly as high as you can and then Gajeel will turn back into a human, and you freefall together!" Levy frowned in thought.

"But isn't kissing in freefall rather dangerous?"

"Who said anything about kissing?" Levy flushed again as Lisanna smirked and Natsu sighed. He reached out and grabbed Lisanna by the back of her shirt and pulled her towards him, spinning her around.

"Natsu? What are you doing?" His reply was to lean in and kiss her, her eyes widening as she melted into the kiss. Within seconds she was lost in the warmth that Natsu seemed to exude, only to be broken out of her trance as a cough sounded out from behind her. Suddenly she pulled away, looking back at a still flushed Levy and a now smirking Gajeel.

"There, now you can't tease her about kissing!" Natsu announced. Lisanna glared at him, and despite how cute she was with her blush, he still cringed as he knew he'd be regretting this later. "Aaaaaand we need to get going, so everyone gather around!" They all got in a small circle around Natsu, who promptly burst into flames which quickly spread to cover the group. A second later, and all that remained was a faint scent of charcoal as the group teleported away.

••••••••••••••••••••••

When Lucy returned to the hotel, only 15 minutes before midnight, she was prepared to be chewed out by an irate Erza. Erza had many ways that she expressed her anger, and Lucy was praying for a less painful one.

However, she was not prepared for an Erza who was laying on the bed, sighing happily. She turned to look at the other members of the team, only to see a rather confused duo in Liz and Gray, neither of which looked like they knew what was going on. Hisui on the other hand, simply sighed and laughed, walking over to them.

"She and Jellal had a fun night, so she's in a happy mood. Apparently he paid for her to get the best cake from the three best restaurants in the city. How was your night Lucy?" Lucy smiled viciously.

"Illuminating. I had an interesting run in with a member of Sabertooth named Sting." Immediately Liz began groaning.

"That guy? I hate him soo much. He is so freaking cocky, and just because they beat us in the games he's sure that their guild is way better than ours. What'd you do to him?"

"Slapped him, then told him in no uncertain terms that we were going to cream him and his guild!" Liz laughed, jumping forward to give her a high five.

"Yeah! I knew I liked you for a reason!" Hisui laughed as well, and Gray smiled.

"Man, wish I could have seen that." Gray complained. Hisui looked over, ready to respond, but whatever she was going to say was drowned out by the booming (yet high pitched) voice that filled the air.

"WELCOME EVERYONE, TO THE PRELIMINARY ROUND OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR SOME FUN, BECAUSE THIS YEAR WE ARE IN FOR SOME SUPRISES! IF YOU WOULD PLEASE LOOK TO TEHE SKY, YOU WILL SEE THE FIRST OF MANY OBSTACLES THAT OUR CONTESTANTS WILL HAVE TO FACE THIS WEEK. IT IS CALLED SKY LABYRINTH! AS WE HAVE HAD FAR TOO MANY ENTRIES THIS YEAR, THIS WILL BE AN ELIMINATION ROUND. THE FIRST 8 TEAMS TO MAKE IT TO THE GOAL WILL CONTINUE. EVERYONE ELSE? NO SUCH LUCK! NOW, BEFORE OUR PARTICPANTS GET TOO BORED, LETS GET YOU CLOSER TO THE ACTION!"

With that the room began to shake, before lifting up into the air, the motion ending as they came to a platform that lead to the maze in front of them. The giddy Erza from just a few minutes ago was gone, seriousness taking over as she analyzed the massive orb in front of them.

"SO, LETS ALL JOIN IN AND GIVE OUR TEAMS A BIG CHEER! REMEMBER, ALL YOUR MEMBERS MUST CROSS THE FINISH LINE, SO IF EVEN ONE OF YOU FALLS OFF THE MAZE THEN YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED! ARE YOU ALL READY? THEN, I HEREBY ANNOUNCE THE START OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES, AND WITH IT THE SKY LABYRINTH! GO! _"_

Immediately the group began running forward. Lucy ran alongside her teammates, and as she did she felt a happy feeling gather in her chest.

"Let's go put Fairy Tail back on top, okay guys?" She yelled. The response she got back was exactly what she was expecting, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"AYE SIR!"

* * *

 **And there goes another chapter! The Grand Magic Games have started, and the rivalry between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth is still strong! For those of you who are worried (If any of you are) I am planning on covering Natsu and Lisanna's night in the following chapter, as well as make some progress on the first day of the games! Hope you guys are ready! Until then, This is Glitch, signing off!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hi everyone, Glitch here! First of all, I am so sorry for not posting in forever! My life has been super crazy, so I had to take a little break. I'm back now, but my posts will still be sporadic at best. Thank you to all who have reviewed! And I hope everyone is super excited for the new anime episodes coming out! I am still stoked about it! Anyways, thank you for your support!**

 **As** **always, I don't own fairy tail. Here's the chapter!**

Chapter 10

" **Ice Make: Hammer!** " Gray yelled, his creation knocking another mage off the edge of the shifting labyrinth. He grinned as he reached out and grabbed the fluttering paper that had fallen out of the man's pocket.

"Got another one!" He heard as the smell of ozone filled the air, followed by a tingling feeling as lightning shot down the path.

"Me too!" He called as he walked back to the group, grinning. They had discovered fairly quickly that trying to blindly rush through the maze was pointless. After only a few minutes the maze had drastically shifted, changing into an entirely different design. Luckily, they had found a solution…

"Man, it's really lucky that they gave everyone a different part of the map." Lucy said with a smile. Yes, it had been very lucky and now, after 15 minutes of beating the crap out of the competition (something Erza seemed to be having way too much fun doing), they finally had an entire map.

"Indeed. Now, let us move on! Though, we should defeat anyone else we see. The less competition the better." Yup… way too much fun, Lucy thought. Briefly she let her thoughts wander as she followed the group down an obscure path further into the confusing maze, wondering how the other guilds were faring. A blonde mop of hair popped in her head and she smirked, patting her key ring.

Somewhere else in the maze a certain dragon slayer shivered.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Natsu sighed as he laid back. It had already been just over an hour since the competition had started, and he was extremely bored.

"What the heck is taking them so long?" He whined.

"Will you shut it flame-brain?" came the growled reply. Natsu had been complaining for the past 20 minutes or so. Not that Gajeel was any happier. Getting lost wasn't his definition of a good time.

"Why don't you shut it, metal face!"

"You're the one complaining!"

"Well you're complaining about my complaining!"

"If the two of you are done your bickering," Jellal cut in, "then I think we should work on solving our predicament."

Natsu scoffed at the blue haired mage, before turning back the map. Lisanna was never going to let him live this one down. And the way that they had come to this… ugh.

A week before the games had begun Gramps had sent back the list of people to be put on the team, and with it he had sent a major surprise. For the first time in the history of the games, each guild was allowed to enter two teams! Obviously, they had taken advantage of this, and without the rest of the guild knowing they had formed Fairy Tail Team B, holding nothing back. Natsu had been an obvious choice, followed by Jellal. Gajeel had practically demanded to be entered, and with his power raging from the recently broken seal he hadn't been denied. Their fourth member was another easy choice, Laxus had long since shown he was easily one of the strongest of the guild. The last member, however, had been a harder choice. It had taken some time, but eventually they had come to a decision.

"Umm… guys? I think we might be here… or, maybe here?" Wendy said, staring at the map in confusion.

Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragon Slayer. She had never been the strongest, nor the fastest or the smartest, but something had changed in her lately. Perhaps it was seeing the new Natsu, or perhaps it was just something that all dragon slayers went through, but she had become much more combat oriented since the training camp. Lisanna had asked Natsu about it, but he had just shrugged.

"Guess she's coming to her own." He had replied, grabbing another helping of roasted salmon as they had been at one of Crocus' fanciest restaurants at the time.

Yes, Fairy Tail Team B was a force to be reckoned with, but despite their seemingly overwhelming power and experience, they still had ended up here. Perhaps it had been inevitable.

"How in the hell do none of you morons know how to read a map?" Laxus said aggravated. After breezing through the preliminary challenge, which had been incredibly simple for the 4 dragon slayers and their advanced senses, they had been released into the city. Unfortunately, they had landed in an area that they had never been to before. Something that Natsu, in all his inherent stubbornness, had refused to admit. Forty-five minutes later, and they had gone from confused to hopelessly lost.

"I don't see you reading the map either Laxus." Jellal said, leaning back against the wall. Since the games were so popular maps had been posted around the city, but that wasn't helping much.

Laxus huffed and looked off to the side. "Why would I know how? Freed always dealt with directions."

"What of your travels when you went solo."

"I didn't have a destination in mind, so I didn't need to know where I was. What about you, former council member." Jellal frowned and sent a mild glare, too tired to do anything worse. It was nearly one in the morning after all.

"I was raised as a slave, and after that I was carted around by dark guilds to learn my magic. I don't even know where I spent most of my youth. And Siegrain only needed to appear in Era, plus as a thought projection he could teleport anywhere he needed to. So no, I never learned. At least, not a map like this." As he finished he looked over to the map, which true to his word seemed like it had been drawn by an abstract artist rather than a cartographer.

"What about you shrimp?" Wendy jumped as Laxus put his hand on her head.

"Umm… I never needed one. By the time I got old enough to do jobs I had Carla…"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! No wait!" The scent of burnt paper filled the air as Gajeel yelled.

"Haha! I told you the map couldn't beat me!"

"That's not what I meant you idiot!"

Wendy sighed, her own admission lost among the chaos that was Natsu. She looked up as Laxus and Jellal joined in the bickering. She could probably see the inn from the top of one of the buildings…

Swirling the air around she leapt up, she couldn't help but giggle as Natsu's "it was asking for it!" echoed through the street.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Makarov was tired by the time he had reached the inn. Honey Bone Inn, the most peaceful tavern in Crocus. He let out a dry chuckle, one that mixed humor and dread. That slogan was sure to be changed by the time his children were through with it. However, as of yet the building was still standing. He smiled as he went to open the door, ready to see his family.

Only to be stopped by a familiar shout from behind him.

"Yo! Gramps!" He turned to greet his hot headed nakama, but the words he was about to say died on his lips. He quickly shook his head and smiled at the approaching Team B.

"Natsu, my boy! I see you and the others are out quite late. I was under the impression that the preliminary game had ended nearly 3 hours ago." And indeed it had, the time now being around 4 o'clock. Natsu grinned sheepishly, and the rest of the team glared at him, barring Wendy.

"Well, you know how it is gramps. Sometimes you just get caught up in the fun!"

"Fun? _Fun_ , Natsu?" Laxus growled out, " _This_ is not what I call fun."

"This", in Makarov's opinion, did not look fun at all. Each of the members was covered from head to toe in a strange thick sludge, like mud that was sort of… oozing. The smell itself was nauseating, probably much worse for the dragon slayer's noses. And that wasn't it. Jellal, normally somewhat stoic, was now red with rage. Literally as well as figuratively, as any skin that was showing seemed to be a bright, neon red as opposed to its normal colour. Gajeel's hair had also been changed, his normal black locks being replaced by a rather… interesting shade of green.

"Well Natsu, you seem to be getting everyone into trouble once more. I'm happy to see you haven't lost your sense of humor!" Natsu laughed and the rest scowled again, though Wendy seemed to just be extremely tired.

"You could say that pops! How much time do we have until we have to be at the arena again?"

"Well, I do believe that they asked the participating teams to be there around ten. So, six hours? I do suggest waking up in time though. With two Fairy Tail teams in the games we need to be at our best you know!"

"Six hours! C'mon guys, Whatcha waiting for? We got to get some sleep!" Natsu yelled. Wendy sighed as the others all glared at him, with Makarov chuckling behind him.

"Just wait a minute Natsu, I want to have a word with you first. The rest of you can head on up."

"Goodnight Master!"

"Night Gramps."

"See you in the morning loser," Gajeel to Natsu, of course.

"Goodnight Makarov." Jellal said with a bow before closing the door. Natsu turned to the older man and smiled.

"So, what did you need gramps?" Makarov smiled warmly before gesturing over to a bench. As they walked over fire spread quickly over Natsu's body, the crimson black flames quickly destroying whatever slime covered him.

"Nothing too serious my boy, just curiosity I suppose. So how did our teams do in the match?" Natsu's face grew serious as he thought it over.

"Not too badly gramps. We got second, though that's probably because we spent a good five minutes chasing after some idiot that had the gall to insult us. The other group though, they ended up in seventh."

"They beat out Quatro Cerberus, correct?"

"Oh ya, nothing 'wild' about their team this year," Natsu laughed, "Overall they didn't do too badly though. Can't wait until tomorrow, I hear that they have a bunch of events for us to do. Pluuuuussssss, I hear that a little bet is in play?"

Makarov sighed. In order to convince Laxus to join he had set up a wager where the winning team would have the losing team listen to them for an entire day. He shuddered at the thought of what the losers could end up suffering through.

"That is correct Natsu."

"Perfect." He replied, his sharpened incisors glinting in the streetlight. "So anything else you wanted to say gramps?"

"Actually, there is one thing. Earlier, at the meeting, we were discussing potential replacements for the 3 vacant spots, I brought up your name, as well as Gildarts."

Natsu's grin faded slightly, and he turned to looked out towards the inn, where a single room's window was lit.

"However," Makarov continued, "After I had said it I was immediately laughed off. They claimed that though you were powerful, you were nowhere near their level… Can you explain Natsu?" Natsu sighed, still watching the lit room as a figure moved into the frame of the window.

"Well… It's complicated Makarov. Me being a dragon isn't really common knowledge. Outside of Magnolia, and a few rather extreme instances, I don't ever use my full power. The hardest I've ever had to push was stage three, dragon force. And that was when no one was watching!"

"What were you doing?" Natsu shrugged, eyes still fixated on the figure in the window, who now appeared to be heading towards the entrance to the balcony that sat outside the room.

"Dealing with some angry family members."

"Family? I wasn't aware you had any outside of Igneel." Natsu's eyes widened as he spun his head back to look at Makarov.

"Crap. I wasn't supposed to say that." Makarov narrowed his eyes.

"Keeping secrets Natsu?" Natsu sighed once more and looked up at the girl now standing on the balcony, a certain white haired mage waiting for a dragon to return.

"Ya, just a few. I'm sorry Makarov, I wish I could share, but these are the kind of secrets that could cause a lot of trouble for Fairy Tail if they come out the wrong way. For now they have to remain hidden, but hopefully not for much longer, okay? Anyways, the saints have only ever seen me activate **Flame Drive** before, so they naturally assumed that it was the extent of my power. And even then I wasn't releasing anywhere near the amount of power I can. To be honest, I never felt the need to correct them. I got my jobs done, and if some snobs thought they were stronger than me than whatever. That was one thing, but I also didn't want Acnologia to know where I was."

"That makes sense. Do you intend to hold back throughout the tournament then? We still haven't decided on who was going to fill those spots. We are going to meet after the games to finalize our votes, so you have a chance." Natsu thought for a second before smiling and standing, waving at his mate as she spotted him. He turned to Makarov and helped him up as well.

"You know what? I don't think I will. One of the Heralds probably saw the guild marks on Gildarts or Jellal, so there really isn't any point in hiding any longer. Besides, I believe I've marked Magnolia clearly enough as my territory, so according to the laws of combat they can't attack. It's a complicated process, fighting over the throne, so they won't interfere with those rules. So I guess that I can show the world what I'm really capable of." He flashed a grin filled with malicious intent, leaving Makarov shuddering slightly, "I hope those arrogant brats are ready for the beat down of their lives… Alright, I should be getting some shut eye if I don't want to sleep in! Though I doubt Lisanna will let me." He laughed. "See you tomorrow Gramps!"

With that he was briefly surrounded by flames, before reappearing in a similar burst of fire up beside Lisanna. Makarov watched as he hugged her before brushing some hair away from her eyes, letting the loose hair fall to the back of her neck before leaning in and giving her a small, chaste, yet loving kiss. Together they walked back into the room, and a few minutes later the light flickered off. Ah, to be young again, Makarov thought. With one last glance at the peaceful sky, he wandered to the entrance. Tomorrow was looking to be exciting for sure.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The Grand Magic Games, Natsu decided, was not nearly as boring as he thought it was going to be. He sighed as he slowly woke up, letting himself remain relaxed for just a few more minutes. The previous day had been perfect. First off, no one had been arrested. Sort of sad that was his first worry, now that he thought of it, but with Fairy Tail mages there was always the possibility.

The day had started terribly, as no one should have to endure that long of a train ride. However, once they had settled in everything had took a turn for the better. He had quickly promised Lisanna that he would return shortly for their night of fun, and after quickly checking that everyone had settled in properly he had rushed off. He had the perfect plan and only a couple hours to do it.

First order of business? Get everything ready for the perfect date.

Second task? Go on said date.

Hey, no one said it had to be a complicated plan. However, the execution of said plan proved to be much more difficult than that. Flowers had been his first goal. However, thanks to a rather annoying blonde Sabertooth mage, Natsu had a lot more problems with that than he would have liked. Being chased around the city by an idiot with a death wish (seriously, that kid would jump off a cliff if Natsu said that he would fight him afterwards), did not make it easy to get all the reservations planned, garden staff warned (he did tend to set things on fire), and get his jewels prepped for the shopping spree that he had promised his mate. With all that to do, Natsu knew it would take a hard work, a distraction for Sting, and a miracle or two.

As it turns out, he had none of those things. So he went with the next best thing. Winging it.

Luckily, he did manage to get his jewel ready, and after what seemed like a thousand dresses later, (though he would never oppose having Lisanna being as happy as she was) they visited her favorite restaurant.

"Come on Lisanna, it'll be fine!" He whispered.

"What do you mean fine?" Lisanna whispered back, "You can't get in without a reservation!" A devious smirk crossed his face.

"Wanna bet?"

"No." Came her deadpan reply.

As it turns out, you DID need a reservation… or a very simple threat… well, he would later argue it wasn't reeeaaallly a threat.

"Wow, those are some fancy carpets you got there! Hey Lisanna, remember that one guy? The one with the big house? His carpets where pretty cool too, up until I burned em up!"

Suffice to say they had let him in. The dinner had gone smoothly, and Natsu left with a sated girlfriend, up to the palace gardens.

"So how did you get the king to let us go in all by ourselves?" She had asked as they approached the gate.

"Oh, I didn't!"

The next hour consisted of entirely too many trap door, cursed hedges, and close calls for Lisanna to count, but it was worth it in the end. Soon they had found what Natsu had brought them up to the gardens to see, a flower that Lisanna had once called the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. She knelt down to look at the single flower, shining in a pale moonbeam. The Moon Lily, a flower they had found on one of their earliest missions together before giving it to the King. Its silver petals danced in the moonlight, and Lisanna smiled as she looked at it.

Natsu knelt down beside her and took her hand in his, and reaching behind him he began to speak.

"I remember when we found this flower. It was alone, up in those mountains. You told me it looked lonely, so we found a better home for it, here in the gardens."

"That was one of my favorite adventures Natsu," Lisanna said as she leaned in to him. The warmth flowing off his body surrounded her and she sighed. Natsu smiled and continued.

"But you know what Lisanna, I think it still looks lonely here too, all alone under this moonbeam." Lisanna looked at him questioningly. He smiled. "I went and talked to Lucian and with his help we took a quick trip to get this." He pulled his hand out from behind his back and revealed a beautiful rose. It appeared to be an ever shifting combination of colours, and if you looked closely the petals themselves appeared to be aflame. "It's called a Sunflare Rose.

"It's beautiful," She whispered. He took it and placed it in her hand.

"It's me." Lisanna's eyebrows furrowed in thought at that. Though the flower was similar to Natsu, so bright and lively and fiery, she didn't quite get what he was getting at here. She looked over at him, and found herself looking into his eyes as he blushed slightly. "I mean, it is like me. And that's you." He pointed at the Moon Lily. He then took the flower from her hand and with a tenderness not often seen he placed the stem to the ground by the silver flower. With a small flash it burrowed into the ground, and Natsu let it go as the stem began to grow, wrapping around the stem of the Moon Lily. Soon where one flower stood alone there were two, interwoven so tightly it could easily be mistaken for a single plant with two flowers, each resting against the other. Lisanna felt tears come to her eyes at the sight, and turned back to Natsu. He may not always be the best with words, but she knew exactly what he meant. She leaned forwards and captured his lips in a kiss, which after a moment of surprise he returned. It was a chaste kiss, but it was filled with such tenderness that Lisanna knew she would never forget this moment. As she pulled away hey rested their foreheads against each other.

"I love you." Natsu whispered, his voice quite as a light breeze blew in, moving the Sunflare Rose slightly.

"And I love you," Lisanna whispered back, the wind moving the Moon Lily as well.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Natsu pulled Lisanna close and stood up, carrying her bridal style in his arms. He smiled down at her and she laughed.

"Now, I think I owe you a flight, right?"

"You better believe it mister Cataclysm Dragon." She replied in a teasing tone of voice. Natsu rolled his eyes before disappearing in a flash of flames. Not too long later they ran into Gajeel, the newest Iron Dragon, though he wouldn't quite count as a dragon yet, and the rest of the night had gone off fairly well.

"Natsu?" A quite voice questioned. Said dragon slayer looked over into the face of his only and smiled as she yawned and raised herself up, "What time is it?" Looking over to the clock on the wall he grimaced.

"Umm… 9:30?" With a shout Lisanna bolted from the bed. A chuckle stopped her as she ranted about grabbing a bite to eat before they go to the stadium.

"Are you planning on going out like that? Cause I'm pretty sure I would have to kill the male population if you did." Looking down at her current (lack of) over-clothing, Lisanna shrieked and grabbed a suitcase, ducking into their bathroom. "I'll grab something for you from downstairs!" Natsu said as he walked out the door, pausing to grab his jacket and letting his flames roll over himself, cleaning off any dirt. Not the most thorough way to clean, but it worked.

Arriving at the buffet style breakfast he turned to his team, of whom he was the last to arrive. He grabbed a few things and set up a plate for Lisanna (who he could hear walking down the stairs), and let off a smirk at the distinctively ruffled Gajeel (who may or may not have had a certain bookworm's scent all over him). After sitting down at their table he glanced around for the other team, and not finding him he smiled.

"Alright guys, the opening ceremonies start in a half hour. Now, they should start us off with some sort of competition, so here's the plan…"

••••••••••••••••••••••

Sounds filled the air, laughter and excitement as the crowds piled into the arena. The atmosphere screamed anticipation, and the crowd roared alongside it. Makarov smiled as he looked down upon them, the people of their great kingdom. It had been a long time since he had visited the capital, and he now remembered just why it had always filled him with a sense of awe.

"It is a wonderful place, isn't it?"

…

"MAVIS?!"

The entirety of Fairy Tail screamed as the First Master appeared beside Makarov, just sitting on the edge kicking her feet. She was in the same dress they had seen her in before, and was smiling cheekily at everyone in the shocked guild. Well, almost everyone.

"Mavis! How are you?" Lisanna said as she rushed up, hugging the younger looking girl. Mavis laughed as she did, giggling and pointing over the white haired mage's shoulder.

"L-l-l-look at their faces Lisanna! They're speechless!" As the group gathered their wits, except for Happy (who hadn't stopped munching on his fish) , Mavis slowly stopped laughing and smiled at them. "Hi everyone!"

"First Master? How are you here?" Makarov asked. They hadn't heard anything since she had disappeared on Tenrou Island. Thinking about it, he didn't think it was _possible_ for her to contact them at all, let alone here.

"I'm a ghos–" A pointed look and a spike of annoyance from Lisanna stopped her.

"Sorry," she said, looking down, "I'm not supposed to say that anymore. I'm a spirit!" She looked up, smiling brightly once again.

"So you can go anywhere?"

"Not anywhere, but lots of places!" Lisanna laughed before turning to the rest of them.

"Sorry everyone. Natsu and I found her a year ago after a dangerous… situation that we got stuck in. She can appear to anyone with a Fairy Tail symbol on them. But Mavis, you neer mentioned that you were coming to the Grand Magic Games…" She trailed off. Mavis smiled again.

"Natsu said it should be a surprise! And he was right, it was worth it!" Lisanna sighed dramatically.

"Of course he did. What am I going to do with him?"

"Oh, you'll figure it out. Dragneels are very stubborn you know."

"What are you guys going on about? Its starting!" Levy said, excitement in her voice.

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!" shouted out a familiar high pitched voice, "MY NAME IS MATO, AND WELCOME TO THE X791 GRAND MAGIC GAMES! AS YOU ALL HEARD LAST NIGHT, WE HAD A LOT OF SUBMISSIONS THIS YEAR! SO, YESTERDAY WE HAD THE PRELIMINARY ROUND, ELIMINATING THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ATTEMPTED TO COMPETE. AND NOW WE ARE LEFT WITH THE VERY BEST OF THE BEST, THE CHOSEN FEW, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER, KABO, FOR THE TOP 8 TEAMS IN THE PREILINARIES AND YOUR COMPETITORS!" With that fireworks exploded outwards from the Domus Flau. Lights flashed into existence and the small man (pumpkin?) in the middle of the arena as he spoke he turned and faced each of the 8 entrances on the sides of the arena, calling out a name as he pointed to each individual one.

"COMING IN 8TH PLACE, THE GUILD OF THE WILD, QUATRO CERBERUS, AND THEIR CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR; ROCKER, NOBARLY, JÄGER, WARCRY, AND SEMMES!" He moved his hand to the next entrance.

"NOW, COMING IN 7TH PLACE, WE HAVE A CROWD FAVORITE OF THE YEARS PAST. ALWAYS SHAKING THINGS UP, THIS GUILD HAS RECENTLY HAD SOME OF THEIR CORE MEMBERS RETURN AFTER BEING MISSING FOR 7 WHOLE YEARS! CAN WE GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR FAIRY TAIL, KABO!" Makarov smiled brightly and cheered along with the rest of the guild as their chosen few walked out onto the field. 7th may not be the best, but regardless of that the group walking onto the field seemed no less enthusiastic. "LET'S WELCOME TO THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES; ERZA SCARLET, LIZ FULMEN, GRAY FULLBUSTER, LUCY HEARTFILIA, AND HISUI E. FIORE!

"NOW, KABO, MOVING ON TO THE 6TH PLACE TEAM! IT IS NO SURPRISE HERE THAT COMING INTO THE GAMES WE HAVE MERMAID HEEL! THE ALL FEMALE GUILD HAS DONE QUITE WELL IN THE PAST, SO LETS GIVE A HAND FOR KAGURA, ARAÑA, BETH, RISLEY, AND MILLIANNA!" Another round of cheers, and Makarov watched with a smile as Erza and Millianna reunited on the field, bringing a smile to many faces in the audience. After a few moments Mato spoke up.

"AFTER THAT HEARTWARMING REUNION LET US INTRODUCE THE 5TH PLACE AND 4TH PLACE FINISHERS, BLUE PEGASUS, FOLLOWED BY LAMIA SCALE! NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, OUR TOP THREE TEAMS OF THE PRELIMINARY, KABO! COMING IN THIRD PLACE, A NEWCOMER IN THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES, WE HAVE RAVEN TAIL! THEIR MEMBERS ARE FIERCE, POWERFUL, AND MYSTERIOUS. SAY HELLO TO ALEXEI, FLARE, KUROHEBI, NULLPUDDING, AND OBRA!"

Makarov began smiling as he realized what team was coming next, and beside him Lisanna was gleaming brightly, alongside the First Master. Makarov raised a brow at the girls.

"How did you two know?" Lisanna laughed.

"Natsu, keep a secret from me? Good luck." Mavis shrugged, the smile never leaving her face.

"I'm a spirit silly, I heard you guys talking about it ages ago."

"NOW HOLD YOUR BREATHS FOLKS, FOR NOW WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU! IT IS NOT WELL KNOWN, BUT THIS YEAR WE ALLOWED EACH AND EVERY GUILD TO SUBMIT TWO TEAMS INTO THE GAMES THIS YEAR. COMING IN SECOND PLACE, PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR…"

The scarlet knight raised a hand in greeting.

"Of course they did…" the celestial mage sighed.

"Master!" Two voices called out.

"Flame brain?!"

"FAIRY TAIL TEAM B!"

The crowd was silent for a moment before they exploded, the people beginning to scream and cheer. And, Makarov noted, they had every right to. Walking into the arena was an impressive sight indeed. Natsu lead the team, his flames circling them in huge arcs, the blue lightning flashing within it. Jellal was glowing with energy, and beside him Laxus was sparking. Gajeel was completely covered in metal, and in front of his intimidating form stood Wendy, smiling shyly as she swirled her hands, allowing the excess flames and other magics to swirl around the group in gusts of wind in a wonderful display. The magic power they were releasing was impressive indeed, and Makarov had to smirk as Jura looked at him from the arena, confusion and questions flitting across his expression as he saw the magic Natsu was capable of.

"FINALLY, THE FIRST PLACE WINNERS, AND UNDEFEATED CHAMPIONS, I GIVE YOU STING EUCLIFFE, ROGUE CHENEY, RUFUS LORE, YUKINO AGRIA, AND ORGA NANAGEAR! SAY HELLO TO SABERTOOTH!"

Down on the field Sabertooth walked into the arena, and two Fairy Tail mages felt their irritation spike. Natsu rolled his eyes as they cockily walked to the center with the rest of the teams. His eyes seemed to roll even harder as Sting opened his mouth.

"Natsu! I told you I would beat you! This is just the beginning, me and Rogue have left you far behind, you'll see! We're gunna crush you this year."

"Ya, ya, sure thing blondie." Natsu said as he turned away, walking to the other Fairy Tail team. As he did he noticed Lucy staring over his shoulder and fingering something on her key chain.

"Hey guys!"

"Natsu!" Gray called out, "What the hell, man?"

"Master thought you guys might like a challenge!" Natsu said, before smirking. "Also, there's also the penalty game."

"Penalty game? Explain." Erza said, glaring. Natsu stopped smirking and laughed nervously.

"Don't stress Erza, its nothing serious. Whichever team does better in the games gets to tell the losing team what to do for an entire day!" Instantly, each of the member's eyes clouded over, and Natsu could practically see their dreams coming true. Erza snapped out of it and smiled (not a nice smile Natsu noticed) and looked at Jellal.

"We agree!"

The rest of them didn't get an opportunity to respond as Mato's voice filled the air.

"NOW THAT WE'VE INTRODUCED OUR TEAMS, THER'S NO TIME TO WASTE! EACH DAY OF THE GAMES WILL HAVE THE SAME BASIC STRUCTURE. WE WILL BEGIN WITH A COMPETITION WHERE ONE MEMBER FROM EACH TEAM WILL COMPETE. POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR YOUR PLACEMENT! THEN THE AFTERNOON WILL BE THE BATTLE PHASE, WHERE WE WITH PIT MEMBERS OF ONE TEAM AGAINST THE OTHERS. ON THE FOURTH DAY WE WILL DO A TAG TEAM BATTLE DAY, AND IT WILL ALL ACCUMULATE IN A MASSIVE FINALE, THOUGH WE'LL KEEP WHAT THAT IS A SECRET, KABO. SO, LETS GET STARTED. THE FIRST GAME, THAT WE WILL BE PLAYING THIS YEAR IS… HIDDEN! TEAMS, PICK YOUR PARTICIPANTS NOW AND WE WILL EXPLAIN THE RULES AFTER."

"So we will be going in blind then." Erza said, and Natsu nodded.

"That's how they've done it before. Anyways, good luck guys." He smiled brightly, "You're going to need it!" He laughed as he ran away. Erza chuckled lightly before turning to the rest of their team.

"Alright, who are we going to send?"

"Hidden sounds like some sort of hiding game, so the stealthiest?" Lucy chimed in.

Liz immediately pointed at Hisui. "Then it's time for Hisui to shine!" she yelled. The other glanced at the jade haired girl, who was blushing.

"You're stealthy?" Gray asked.

"W-well, not overly so," Hisui said, "but I spent years evading the royal guards as a kid, and I do have a spirit that can help me."

"Alright then!" Erza proclaimed, her hand slamming onto Hisui's shoulder causing the girl to jump, "Hisui will lead us to victory! We must defeat the other team!"

The other's sweat-dropped at her enthusiasm.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Soon Hisui found herself alone in the arena, surrounded with both familiar and unknown faces.

"Ah, Miss Hisui. What a pleasantry to see you. You're just as beautiful as I remember. And I assume you will be just as graceful in defeat?" Hisui grimaced. She had never really been the best at trash talk, despite Liz's attempts at teaching her.

"Rufus. Thank you, and I hope you aren't too disappointed when I exceed your expectations."

"I have no doubt you will princess, but they are so low in the first place that exceeding them won't be much to brag about." He smirked back at her, from under that insufferable hat. Suddenly, a new voice perked up.

"It won't matter how good you guys do, c-c-cause I am gunna win!" The two blinked in surprise before looking down at the shy bluenette standing before them. Rufus scoffed, but Hisui eyed the younger girl. After the initial day of training they had all split up again, only meeting for food. Honestly, she didn't know how powerful the young dragon slayer was. There was something in her eyes that screamed determination, and Hisui had seen a similar look in Liz's eyes before every fight.

Before she could comment, Mato called them to the center of the arena and Wendy took off running. Hisui followed close after her, taking in the competition as she did. Beth from Mermaid Heel, a vegetable magic user. Eve from Blue Pegasus, snow magic. Lyon from Lamia Scale, Ice magic. She didn't know Jäger's magic, and Nullpudding was a mystery too. Then all there was left was her, that know it all Rufus, and Wendy. An interesting group of mages for sure.

As she got to the circle, Wendy turned to her.

"I-I-I'm going to win Hisui! I won't hold back!" Hisui smiled and turned to Mato as he began explaining the first competition.

"Neither will I Wendy, let's give it our best!"

Interesting indeed.

••••••••••••••••••••••

 **And there we go! I will get working on the next chapter. As always, read and review! Thank you for reading!**

 **See y** **ou guys next time, Glitch out!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey everybody, Glitch here! Merry Christmas! I was planning on getting this out a little earlier than this, but y'know... Christmas. What can I say? Anyways, here's the new chapter! I hope you guys all enjoy it!**

 **Really quick though, to answer ob1292's question, no she cannot for at the moment. As to why she can't I think I'll leave that a secret for now ;)**

 **Here's my disclaimer: I sadly do not own the wonderful world in which this story takes place.**

 **Now, onto the chapter!**

Chapter 11

Wendy was nervous. When Natsu had come back to their group he had literally started pushing her towards the exit.

"Alright Wendy, your turn!"

Flustered, she hadn't known how to respond, and none of the others had tried to stop him! Jellal had just sighed, Laxus had ignored them, and Gajeel had given her a thumbs up and a smirk as Natsu pushed her past.

"N-N-N-Natsu!? I don't think… I don't…" As she struggled for a response, Natsu slowed and turned to look at her, smiling a soft smile, much different than his usual grin.

"C'mon Wendy. We trained hard for this. I didn't teach you those moves from Grandeeney just so you could sit on the sidelines! You're a dragon slayer, right? Then beating some mages should be a walk in the park. Just do your best! Besides, were all right behind you, Fairy Tail is always together!"

Wendy found herself smiling despite her fear. She had remember the shock when they had visited Porlyusica and she had smelled exactly like Grandeeney, and the disappointment that she felt when it was revealed she was the Edolas version. But Natsu had helped her learn from the scrolls her mother had left with her alternate, and on top of his own training in Dragon Magic she knew she was ready. She took a deep breath and mustered all her courage before smiling at Natsu.

"Okay, I'll win it!" Natsu's resulting smile boosted her courage more than any words ever could.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Mato looked at the group before him, smiling in his mask as he watched Hisui and the blue haired girl. It looked like he was wrong, all those years ago, she looked much happier as a "simple guild mage" then she ever did in the castle. He took a deep breath before starting his tirade. He sighed internally, being Mato was getting harder and harder as he got older and older.

"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR PARTICIPANTS! FROM LAMIA SCALE, SAY HELLO TO LYON VASTIA!" Said Ice mage smirked and looked over to the sidelines, nodding to the other Ice Mage in the arena. They would have to catch up after he had defeated his teammate.

"FROM MERMAID HEEL WE HAVE BETH VANDERWOOD, FROM BLUE PEGASUS EVE TEARM, JÄGER FROM QUATRO CERBERUS, AND FROM FAIRY TAIL A HISUI E. FIORE! THEN, NOT TO BE OUTDONE, WE HAVE RUFUS LORE FROM SABERTOOTH, NULLPUDDING FROM RAVEN TAIL, AND FROM FAIRY TAIL B WELCOME WENDY MARVELL!"

As he finished introducing the mages he turned to the arena, which was bathed in magic light. As it faded, the mages and audience stood amazed at the replica village placed in front of them.

"NOW, THE RULES TO THIS GAME ARE SIMPLE. AS IT SAYS, WE ARE GOING TO BE PLAYING A MORE INTENSE VERSION OF HIDE AND SEEK, KABO! EACH PARTICIPANT WILL BE TRANSPORTED RANDOMLY SOMEWHERE IN THE VILLAGE. ONCE YOU ARE IN THE VILLAGE, YOU WILL BE RESONIBLE FOR FINDING THE OTHER CONTESTANTS AND HITTING THEM WITH AN ATTACK. IT DOESN'T MATTER THE STRENGTH, IF YOU HIT THEM YOU GET A POINT! ONCE YOU'VE BEEN HIT YOU WILL BE TRANSPORTED AWAY AGAIN. BE WARNED, GETTING ATTACKED WILL LOSE YOU A POINT, KABO! NOW TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING, YOU WILL NOT BE THE ONLY ONES IN THE CITY!"

Lacrima screen leapt to life in the air, and they watched as clones of each of the participants appeared in the village and began aimlessly walking around.

"THERE ARE CLONES OF EACH OF YOU WANDERING THE CITY. ATTACKING A CLONE WILL TAKE A POINT AWAY FROM YOU TOO, SO BE CAREFUL! YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES TO WIN OR LOSE AS MANY POINTS AS YOU CAN!

"AS A REMINDER, KABO, NO MATTER HOW MANY POINTS YOU GET IN THE GAME, WHAT MATTERS IS YOUR POSITION IN THE END. FIRST PLACE WILL BE AWARDED 10 POINTS, SECOND 8, THIRD 6, FOURTH 4, FIFTH 3, SIXTH 2, SEVENTH 1, AND EIGHTH WILL GET NOTHING!

"NOW, LET'S GET STARTED, KABO! THREE, TWO, ONE, GO!"

••••••••••••••••••••••

To say Hisui was furious would not have been an understatement.

"I'm going to teach that self centered jerk a lesson! YOU HEAR ME RUFUS?"

Every year, EVERY YEAR, that jerk pushed her around. He was so proud of his Memory Make Magic, he thought he was unbeatable. Well, she would have to show him.

" **Starlight Shield! Starlight Retribution! Starlight Mirage!** "

"WOW FOLKS, RIGHT OFF THE BAT WE HAVE A UNIQUE STRATEGY FROM THE STARLIGHT PRINCESS. WITH A QUICK SUCCESSION OF SPELLS SHE SEEMS TO HAVE FORMED A DOME OF MAGIC AROUND HERSELF. WHAT COULD THIS MEAN? MR. YAJIMA?" Chapati, one of the announcers yelled. Yajima nodded beside him.

"IT IS AN INTERESTING STRATEGY. THE RUES SAY THAT THE ATTACKS HAVE TO HIT HER, SO IF SHE CAN BLOCK EVERYTHING COMING HER WAY SHE SHOULD BE SAFE. HOWEVER, NOW HER POSITION IS KNOWN TO EVERYONE. SHE IS SACRIFICING STEALTH FOR DEFENSE."

Hisui smirked as she felt her more aggressive side coming to the surface. As she had expected, it didn't take long for her first victim to come running.

"You think you can just sit there and stay safe? I'll show you! Breaking through that shield will be a piece of cake." Nullpudding said, lunging forward. " **Needle Blast!** "

From his forearms a multitude of needles launched forwards. Hisui watched as they impacted her shield, the entire dome shaking in the process. However, her smirk never left her face. Nullpudding on the other hand…

"Arrggghh!" His scream filled the area as light raced from the shield, following the path his own attack took and slammed into him.

"WOOOW, AND NULLPUDDING GOES DOWN!"

"YES, IT SEEMS WE ARE NOW SEEING THE EFFECTS OF HISUI'S SECOND SPELL. WHEN SOMEONE STRIKES HER SHIELD, THEY TOO ARE STRUCK. I WONDER HOW PEOPLE WILL GET AROUND THIS?"

"WITH AN AMAZING DISPLAY OF FORETHOUGHT TAKES A POINT FOR FAIRY TAIL A! THAT PUTS THEM IN… SECOND PLACE?! WHAT A TWIST FOLKS! WHILE HISUI SCORED HER FIRST POINT, WENDY MARVELL OF FAIRY TAIL B HAS SCORED 3 POINTS! I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HER DO IT!"

"Three points?!" Hisui felt her jaw drop. This was going to be harder than she thought. Looking over her spells she turned and took off into the streets, keeping to the shadows.

 _Hopefully no one notices until after the game.._

An explosion rocked the stadium, followed by a small blizzard in the distance.

 _Well… that might be a bit too hopeful._

••••••••••••••••••••••

"IT HAS ALL COME DOWN TO THIS! WITH ONLY THREE MINUTES LEFT IN THE GAME, WE ARE WITNISSING THE FINAL STAGES OF THE BATTLE. IN FIRST PLACE, WITH A RESOUNDING 11 POINTS IS FAIRY TAIL B! FOLLOWING THEM IS FAIRY TAIL A WITH 6 POINTS, THANKS TO WHAT SEEMS TO BE AN IMPENETRABLE BARRIER PROTECTING HISUI! FOLLOWING HER IS LAMIA SCALE WITH 5 POINTS, MERMAID HEEL WITH 4 POINTS, RAVEN TAIL AND BLUE PEGASUS AT 2, AND FINALLY QUATRO CERBERUS AND SABERTOOTH IN LAST PLACE WITH 0 POINTS! WHAT A SURPRISE!" The sound pf Chapati's voice echoed through the stadium.

"IT HAS BEEN QUITE THE ADVENTURE ALREADY. WE HAVE YET TO ACTUALLY SEE FAIRY TAIL B'S WENDY ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING, TAKING DOWN OPPONENTS WITHOUT US EVEN NOTICING. LIKEWISE, RUFUS FROM SABERTOOTH HAS YET TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE YE-"

"WAIT! THERE HE IS YAJIMA! STANDING ON ONE OF THE ROOFTOPS, RUFUS LORE! WHAT COULD HE BE DOING UP THERE?"

There, on the top of the cathedral in the middle of town, stood the missing mage. In his hand he held a small novel.

 _I know my opponents, I have memorized their every move. Now to execute the annoyances._

"I suppose it is time I pay attention to you fools. Like the stars of the night sky, I could waste hours watching you yet not learn a single thing. And like the stars, you will inevitably fall." As Rufus spoke, he raised one hand, the other closing the book he had been browsing. The crowd quieted as the sky above them darkened, throwing the arena into night. " **Memory Make: Night of the Falling Stars.** "

With his incantation spoken Rufus glowed brightly before seven bolts of energy leapt from his hand, a knowing smirk on his lips as the beams descended upon the arena. Shouts of pain could be heard across the town as the beams slammed into their targets. After a moment the darkness faded.

"AAAAND RUFUS TAKES A MASSIVE ATTACK, SCORING 4 POINTS IN A SINGLE GO!"

"Only four?" Rufus frowned. He had been certain that his attacks had been aimed correctly.

"SADLY, THAT MARKS THE END OF WHAT WAS A BRILLIANT STRATEGY FOR FAIRY TAIL A." Yajima announced as the screen above showed The past few moments. Rufus watched as his attack, powerful and fast, ripped through the shield Hisui had placed some time ago and sped towards its target. However, when it should have contacted her it instead blew straight through her, the image of Hisui simply smiling before fading away.

"Well, that explains how she was able to still rack up points even after people stopped falling for her shield trick." Rufus noted, "But now…" With a leap he spun into the air, narrowly dodging a massive fist.

"Damn it!" Nullpudding yelled, flying through the space where he had just resided.

"I've got you now!" Rufus' eyes widened as a voice shouted from his left. There, standing on a rooftop was one of his missed targets.

" **Starlight Streaming Cannon!** " From Hisui's hands a massive beam of light shot forwards. At the same time a golden blur approached Rufus from above. His smirk widened as the two spate attacks approached him.

"Perhaps I underestimated you princess..." His voice faded as the beam passed through him harmlessly, followed by a blade from a golden armored, winged man. His voice reappeared as his image faded away, coming from above, "But you are not the only one who can make illusions. **Memory Make: Rain of Blades!** " The air around him hummed as blade after blade appeared around him, glowing slightly as they shot towards the two mages beneath him, both yelled out as they struck before glowing and teleporting away. Rufus smirked again as he landed at the same spot on his roof, tipping his hat gently to the crowd.

"OOOOH, WITH THAT RUFUS TAKES SECOND PLACE IN AN INSTANT, TAKING SEVEN POINTS FOR HIMSELF AS HIS SWORD ATTACK HITS POOR JÄGER WHO WAS BENEATH THEM! WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT, IS THIS OUR FINAL SCORE?"

Rufus felt his smirk slip slightly. While second place was not bad…

"Ugh," he scoffed, "To lose to a Fairy of all people…" Slowly he looked to the sky, where large numbers had appeared, counting down from 30. He hadn't even seen the smaller Fairy this entire game. How had she hidden so well and yet still gotten so many points?

Suddenly, a chill went up his spine and with reflexes honed over years of battle he narrowly avoided a blade of wind that cut through the space he had just been in. Instantly he multiplied, his illusions jumping to multiple rooftops as he landed on the tallest building to observe. His chill did not dissipate however, as he saw a small blue haired being blur into existence where he had just stood. Her hair was flowing in the breeze, and across her skin wind like patterns of white seemed to flow back and forth.

"Don't tell me… As I recall it took Sting and Rogue years to master that technique. To accomplish it at such a young age…" His words were interrupted as the small girl took a deep breath. He knew what that meant, a common attack that all dragon slayers shared.

Wendy took a deep breath from her position on top of the small cathedral, letting the air fill her nose as she searched for the Sabertooth mage's scent. By bending the wind around herself carefully she had spent most of the game nearly invisible. **Sky Dragon's Hunt**. Unfortunately, she could only use this when she was also in **Wind Drive** , she wasn't strong enough to do it without the extra power. That meant she had to use weak air blades to attack unsuspecting opponents or else she'd run out of power way too fast. She had cringed every time a sneak attack worked, but this was no time to get soft. Natsu, Gajeel, the whole team and the whole guild were counting on her. She was a member of Fairy Tail, and this was her event to win! Slowly she turned and called out.

"Trying to hide from a Sky Dragon Slayer?"

There was only 20 seconds left, so this was going to have to be fast. There! His scent was powerful, and though his illusions were convincing they could not match that part of him. She growled as she took a deep breath. Rufus seeing this, jumped backwards, putting the building in between himself and the threat in front of him.

10 seconds left.

"I can't hold back now! This is for Fairy Tail!"

8 seconds.

" **Sky Dragon's ROAR!** " With a shout Wendy unleashed her attack. A massive tornado leapt from her mouth, and spiralling upwards it shot towards where Rufus had gone.

6 seconds.

With a grimace Rufus created a chain of light and pulled himself down out of the way, landing roughly to avoid the cyclone.

4 seconds.

He raised his head to look at his target, and felt fear fill his body as he say nothing but empty space where the dragon girl had once stood.

2 seconds.

Not a moment later he felt the air leave his body as a small yet powerful kick slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. Panting and no longer in **Wind Drive** , Wendy looked down at him with an almost feral look in her eyes.

"Got you." She whispered before falling to her knees.

"AND THAT'S THE GAME, KABO!" The voice of Mato filled the arena. Rufus watched as a warm light passed over the fake village before they all reappeared in the empty arena, side by side. Most of the combatants looked fairly injured upon first glance, with only Wendy and Rufus being without major injury. Wendy looked over to him, a smile on her face as she panted slightly, obviously strained from holding an advanced technique for so long.

"Thank you for the game Mr. Lore, I hope we play again soon!"

 _Perhaps_ , Rufus thought to himself as he raised himself up, _I do not know as much about Fairy Tail as I thought I did._

••••••••••••••••••••••

"WELL, THAT WAS QUITE THE SHOW, WASN'T IT, KABO? NOW FOR THE RESULTS! FALLING INTO LAST PLACE, WITH A TOTAL OF 0 POINTS IS QUATRO CERBERUS! SORRY FELLAS, BETTER LUCK IN THE MATCHES! COMING UP NEXT IN SEVENTH PLACE IS NONE OTHER THAN RAVEN TAIL WITH 1 POINT! AFTER THEM IS BLUE PEGASUS, WHO MANAGED TO GET ONE EXTRA POINT IN IN THE LAST MOMENT, STEALING SIXTH PLACE! COMING IN FIFTH THEN IS MERMAID HEEL WITH 3 POINTS, AND IN FOURTH WE HAVE LAMIA SCALE WITH 4 POINTS! IN THIRD WE HAVE FAIRY TAIL A, FINISHING WITH AN IMPRESSIVE 5 POINTS. NOW FOR THE TOP TWO! BOTH MAGES DID INCREDIBLE BUT IN THE END, WITH A GRAND TOTAL OF 12 POINTS, BEATING THE SECOND PLACE SCORE OF 6 POINTS GIVE IT UP FOR FAIRY TAIL B'S WENDY MARVELL!"

Said girl looked up to the cheering crowds and blushed, even more so when a pair of strong arms lifted her up and began leading her back to her team, a familiar voice yelling out.

"I told you that you'd do great Wendy! What a roar too, that was so wicked!" Natsu yelled. The rest of her team were more reserved, but each one sported a smile as she came back to the group. Gajeel smirked and ruffled her hair to her displeasure.

"What'd we say twerp? You did fine."

"What do you mean we?! I said she'd do great, not just fine!" Natsu said indignantly. Gajeel growled and moved forward. After his first step though, his eyes widened and his leg gave out, a gaps leaving his lips. He was saved from falling as Jellal and Laxus grabbed his shoulders.

"Gajeel?" Wendy asked, "Do you need some healing? I don't have a lot of magic power left, but it might help."

"Save your power kid. I'm as tough as steel, this is nothing." Natsu scoffed at his response.

"Ya right. I remember this. Literally the worst week of my life!" He complained. Jellal raised his brow as Gajeel paled slightly. Natsu caught this as well. "Don't worry bucket brains, this will only last until you release some of your pent up power. I just thought I was sick so I thought taking a break would fix it! Turns out it was the opposite. Lisanna was pretty mad when I burned down the hotel we were staying at."

"You burnt down a hotel?" Laxus asked, "What were you trying to do?"

"I coughed! I had a ton of power backed up, and after I coughed the fire just came out! I transformed later that day too, after Atlas found us and explained what I needed to do. Don't worry, you'll only feel like this for a little longer."

"What's it feel like?" Wendy asked, curious as to what the dragon slayer was going through. Natsu shuddered.

"It's like being on a boat, constantly, and all of your muscles get super sensitive at weird times."

"Alright you morons, I can stand now." Gajeel grumbled, shaking the others away. "We've got some company anyways."

"Wendy!" Lucy yelled as she ran up, "You were so cool!"

"Was that the Drive Incantation?" Liz asked as she ran up too. The other two members were helping along a morose Hisui.

"I'm sorry guys, I thought I had him there. Usually illusions don't effect Raziel, so I was sure it was him." Hisui moaned.

"Don't worry about it," Gray replied, "You did fine. We still got third right? Now we just have to not fall behind! I can't believe that Wendy is that strong though, that was pretty cool."

"Yes," Erza nodded, looking over to the small girl who was blushing under the praise of Lucy and Liz, "She truly has grown since she began training." The three moved over to the larger group, just in time for the announcer to speak up once again.

"IS EVERYBODY READY TO MOVE ON? NOW THAT THE SURPRISE GAME IS OUT OF THE WAY, WE CAN OFFICIALLY START THE BATTLES! AFTER A QUICK LUNCH BREAK WE ARE GOING TO GET RIGHT INTO IT, BUT BEFORE YOU ALL GO STUFF YOURSELVES, KABO, HERE'S A LOOK AT WHAT FIGHTS WE'LL BE SEEING THIS AFTERNOON!"

As Mato finished he gestured to the air above him, 4 massive lacrima screens appearing. As he announced the battles, the names and pictures of the mages were displayed, one fight per battle.

"ALRIGHT, KABO! STARTING US OFF WILL BE THE FEROCIOUS WARCRY FROM QUATRO CERBERUS AGAINST THE FIENDISH FLARE CORONA FROM RAVEN TAIL! FOLLOWING THEM WE WILL HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING REN AKATSUKI FROM BLUE PEGASUS FACE OFF AGAINST MILLIANNA, THE CAT LIKE MAGE FROM MERMAID HEEL!"

"Finally," Erza said, looking as her friends gave her some odd looks, "I haven't seen Millianna in years, now I get to see how much she has improved by." Jellal nodded, though with a slight frown on his face. Erza's eyes narrowed, but as Mato continued speaking she turned away from him.

 _I will ask him later_. She thought to herself.

"AFTER THOSE TWO MATCHES WE'LL TAKE A LITTLE BREAK, THEN WE'LL GET THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING A CROWD FAVORITE, ORGA NANAGEAR DUKE IT OUT WITH… LUCY HEARTFILIA!?" Mato looked up to the commentators box for a moment before shrugging. "YUP, ITS GOING TO BE FAIRIES VERSUS TIGERS! FINALLY, AS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR THE AUDIENCE, WE ARE GOING TO SEE TWO TITANS BATTLE AS THE DAY COMES TO A CLOSE. THAT'S RIIIIGHT, JURA NEEKIS, A WIZARD SAINT, WILL BE PIT AGAINST A FORMER WIZARD SAINT, A FIRST TIME PARTICIPANT OF THE GAMES, JELLAL FERNANDES! AND AS AN EXTRA TREAT, THIS AFTERNOON WE WILL BE JOINED BY NONE OTHER THAN JENNY REALIGHT AS A SPECIAL ANNOUCER THIS AFTERNOON! AND WITH THAT SAID, YOU HAVE A HALF HOUR TO EAT, KABO! SEE YOU ALL SOON!"

All of the Fairy Tail members in the arena turned to look at their two members that had been called upon. Jellal looked as stoic as ever, simply nodding across the arena to his opponent before turning back to the small, pumpkin headed announcer. Lucy on the other hand…

"Don't worry Lucy, I am certain that…" Erza trailed off as she finished turning to the blonde mage. She had expected panic, expected wide eyes and concern.

She had not expected the ferocious glee that was there instead.

"What the hell?" Orga muttered across the arena. He had glanced over to the Fairies quickly when his match had been announced, and he had been met with a strange sight. Before now the blonde had been timid, quiet. Now though… she was a bit more intense.

"Lucy…" An angry growl came from his left, Sting having looked over at the team. Odd, Orga thought, as usually he was looking for a different person whenever Fairy Tail was mentioned.

"You know her Sting?" He asked, folding his arms. Damn, that smile was a little creepy. The brat looked like she had just won the lottery and was playing with her little key chain.

"We've met," came the short answer. Orga looked over to Rogue, who simply shrugged.

"I have not met her myself. Rufus?" The memory mage looked up from his book.

"Neither have I. If I do recall she is a Celestial Mage, though last I remember she is far beneath you Yukino."

"Hmmph. A celestial spirit user shouldn't be much of a problem. Hopefully I can end this quickly."

"Can you do anything quickly? I would have assumed you guys would have given up already." A voice cut into their conversation, coming from directly behind them.

"Natsu!" Sting shouted, snarling. Said dragon slayer merely smiled.

"Yo, how are my favorite Kittens?" Rogue growled at him in response, as the other three backed off slightly. It was common knowledge that the two dragon slayers had claimed Natsu as their target for some time now.

"What are you doing here Dragneel?" Rogue inquired with some amount of menace in his voice.

"Just came to give you all a warning."

"We don't need your damn warnings! Just you watch, I'm going to crush you!" Sting once again snarled. Natsu sighed and shrugged.

"Don't care," he said as he turned to Orga, "You've probably noticed, watching Wendy, but the mages who were trapped on Tenrou Island have gotten better than they were before. I didn't train her, and I don't know what you idiots did, but she is pissed at you guys. Take her seriously, or you'll regret it." With that he began to walk back toward his own team. Before he go far, a question stopped him.

"Why warn us?" He stopped for a moment, before continuing. As he walked he answered over his shoulder.

"Wouldn't want you getting seriously hurt because you underestimated her. Though you'll probably get hurt anyways." He turned to glance at them, and Sting glared at the fire in his eyes, "I can't wait."

Natsu walked the rest of the way smiling, finally coming up on his guildmates.

"Natsu!" Liz yelled, waving, "We're going for lunch and meeting up with the rest of the guild. You coming? Lisanna's going to be there!" He face split into a sly grin at the end. Natsu laughed and joined the group.

"You can tease all you want squirt, she IS my mate. Ya, I'll come. And Lucy?"

"Yeah Natsu?"

"Stop glaring at the Sabertooth mages. You're scaring people."

••••••••••••••••••••••

Lunch was a rather speedy affair, and one fast moving line later the two teams were quickly surrounded by their guildmates, most of them congratulating Wendy and Hisui. Off to the side a small group stood apart from the crowd.

"So my boys, how do you feel about the afternoon?" Natsu shrugged, leaning back in his seat against Lisanna while Jellal shared his opinions.

"I do not know how much Jura has improved. I would say I could beat him, or perhaps it is better to say I was once able to beat him. I doubt he would be able to stand against Shin'en, but for the safety of the crowd I won't be using that form."

"I see. Well he is a Wizard Saint. What of the fight between Lucy and Orga."

"Don't stress too much about that one gramps," Natsu piped in, "She has something up her sleeve. Not sure what it is, but she is waaay too excited about it."

"Aye Sir! She might just be crazy though."

"Ha, you're right bout that one Happy!" Natsu laughed, only to be smacked by the girlhe was half laying on..

"Be nice Natsu," Lisanna scolded before smiling and running her hands through his hair. He relaxed as she did, rolling his eyes as a chuckle was heard to the left.

"Oh Natsu, you are just the cutest!"

"Shut up Mavis!" Natsu grumbled. Closing his eyes he tried to ignore the apparition as the hands ran through his hair once more.

CLICK!

In a moment Natsu bolted up, looking over to the now grinning Mavis. A grinning Mavis who was holding a camera…

"MAVIS!" Natsu yelled, lunging for the first master. Mavis lightly skipped to the left before taking off running.

"Just wait till your brother sees this!"

"Get back here!"

Their voices faded as they ran out of sight, leaving a confused Makarov and a sighing Lisanna. Jellal chuckled before leaving with Happy, off to talk to the rest of the guild. Makarov raised a brow before turning to Lisanna.

"Brother? Natsu spoke of family before…" Lisanna grimaced before shaking her head.

"Not yet Master. I promise soon, but not yet. Besides, Natsu should really be the one to tell you about that." Makarov nodded.

"Of course Lisanna. There is one other thing though. If the First Master is a ghost–"

"Don't you go calling her that Master!" Lisanna cut in, her tone exasperated, "We both know she isn't actually dead. It took months to stop her from introducing herself as a ghost, and I really don't want her to get back into the habit. And she says the Dragneels are stubborn!"

Makarov felt his eyes widen and his mouth drop as Lisanna continued to rant about the First Master, almost as if talking about a sibling.

"You know?!" He asked in a hushed tone of voice as Lisanna paused to take a breath. The white haired mage regarded him with a raised eyebrow to match his previous expression.

"About the L.H.? Well, ya. I was guild Master for a while you know!"

"But how did you find out? The only ones who know are myself and the Second Master." Lisanna shook her head.

"You're forgetting Mavis herself Master. She told Natsu's brother, who told him. We talked about it with Mavis already, and we know we have to keep it a secret. Besides, didn't you show Gildarts earlier as well?"

"Yes, when I thought he could be the next Guild Master. I have faith in you child, and I know you will keep this secret. But besides all of this… How is she holding a camera?!" The last bit was yelled, and Lisanna, who had been leaning in to hear the lower volume that Makarov had been speaking at jumped backwards in surprise, nearly falling back into her seat. After a small glare she shrugged.

"Who knows. We stopped questioning what Mavis can and can't do a long time ago. It's easier to pretend it's all normal."

And if they pretended all was normal when a smiling Mavis covered in ash and a rainbow colored Natsu came back 5 minutes later, then who could blame them?

••••••••••••••••••••••

"ALRIGHT FOLKS, KABO, WE ARE BACK AND READY TO GOOOOO! HOPE YOU ALL GOT SOME FOOD, BECAUSE YOU AREN'T GOING TO WANT TO MISS A MOMENT OF THIS AFTERNOON'S BATTLES. THE ARENA HAS BEEN CLEARED, THE FIGHTERS ARE READY, AND ALL THAT LEFT TO DO IS INTRODUCE THE GUESTS OF HONOUR!"

Breathe in.

"FROM RAVEN TAIL, PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO FLARE CORONA!"

Breathe out.

"AND FROM QUATRO CERBERUS, KABO, LET'S HEAR IT FOR WARCRY!"

Breathe in.

"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! IN EACH BATTLE THE COMBATANTS WILL BE GIVEN 30 MINUTES TO DETERMINE A WINNER."

Breathe out.

"THERE ARE THREE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES, KABO. IF YOU KNOCK OUT YOUR OPPONENT, YOU WIN! SIMILARLY, IF YOUR FOE SURRENDERS OR IS UNABLE TO BATTLE, YOU ALSO TAKE THE VICTORY! WINNING A BATTLE WILL NET YOUR TEAM 10 POINTS, THE SAME AMOUNT GIVEN TO THE WINNERS OF THE SURPRISE GAME! LOSING WILL GET YOU 0 POINTS, SO TRY YOUR HARDEST. IF BOTH MAGES ARE STANDING AFTER THE END OF THE 30 MINUTES THEN WE WILL CALL A DRAW, AND BOTH TEAMS WILL RECEIVE 5 POINTS! ALRIGHT, ARE WE READY?"

Lucy took one more deep breath before standing and stretching. She had spent the majority of the break using a technique that Jellal had taught them at the camp, a meditation to gather magic power. Sure, she was excited to use her new tools on those aggravating Sabertooth mages, but she wasn't stupid (like a certain blue cat liked to think). This was going to take a lot of power, and she needed to be ready.

The walk back to the others was short, but by the time she had the crowd had gone silent. After walking out onto the balcony her team shared, she could see why.

In the middle of the stadium, Warcry was bound by what looked like Flare's hair. It wrapped around him like a cocoon. And it was on fire. The red haired mage was cackling like a madwoman as she slammed her opponent into the ground time and time again. Lucy winced as a particularly nasty crash reverberated throughout the stadium.

"What is this?" She whispered. Gray looked at her with a frown on his face.

"That witch has had Warcry trapped since the beginning of the match. Hasn't even given him time to surrender either. This is ridiculous!" He ground out, obviously frustrated. Looking up, Lucy saw each of her teammates looking down at the match in various states of shock and anger. Hisui looked terrified for the man, and Liz was literally crackling with anger. Erza gripped the railing and stared past the match to where the other Raven Tail mages were sitting.

"Raven Tail," She growled out, the railing cracking under her grip, "This is a contest, not a war!"

Lucy looked back to Gray and whispered, "What's the deal with Raven Tail?"

Gray sighed angrily before speaking.

"It was a dark guild when we disappeared. Their Guild Master is Ivan Dreyar, Makarov's son and Laxus' dad." He said, practically spitting the name as a pained yell came from the battle – no – torture in the arena, "I don't know why, but after Ivan was kicked out Raven Tail has been gunning for us. Guess they'll settle for wrecking this guy in the meantime."

"That's horrible…" Lucy muttered, looking back to the arena. After another round of smashes, Warcry was finally able to get his mouth free and shouted his surrender, tears leaking from his eyes at an alarming rate.

"WARCRY ADMITS DEFEAT, KABO, AND SO THE VICTORY GOES TO RAVEN TAIL!" Mato yelled out, some enthusiasm having been lost during the fight. The crowd cheered as well, but not nearly as loud as they had before. Lucy sighed.

"WELL, THAT WAS QUITE THE FIGHT." Yajima said as they took the severely beaten and burned Warcry away.

"SUCH FEROCITY!" Chapati chimed in.

"I, FOR ONE, FOUND IT TO BE QUITE BRUTAL."

"I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE JENNY" Yajima nodded as he spoke.

"NOW, ONTO OUR SECOND FIGHT OF THE DAY! FOR THIS BATTLE WE HAVE REN AKATSUKI, THE WIND MAGE OF BLUE PEGASUS AGAINST THE CAT MAGE OF MERMAID HEEL, MILLIANNA! READY YOU TWO? ALRIGHT THEN, LET'S BEGIN!"

The fight began viscously, both mages using range attacks as they battled. Lucy his a chuckle as Erza muttered to herself about Millianna's technique. Turning as Liz tugged on her sleeve, she found herself looking over at a very frustrated Wendy.

"Look at her," Liz laughed, "She would have been perfect for this fight too! There's no way that Ren guy would have been able to land a single blow on her! Oh I bet she's so mad right now."

"I would be too," Lucy replied, "Millianna looks like she's having some trouble though. None of her magic cancelling attacks can get close to him."

"Ya, she must be pretty panicked out there." Liz said, "I just wish that I could be the one fighting next. Orga is pretty strong, and I have wanted to beat him for a long time." Lucy furrowed her eyes.

"Why? I thought you didn't like Sting and Rogue?" Liz nodded.

"Ya, I don't like most of those jerks, but Orga is different. Sting and Rogue, as much as I hate to admit it, are stronger than I am. Me and Lisanna had a fight with them a while back…"

"Ya, I heard about that." Lucy said sympathetically. Liz sighed and rested her face in her arms.

"They beat us. We got some good hits in too, but they beat us pretty badly. But Orga? He thinks he is so much better than me all because I'm a dragon slayer."

"Why is that special."

"He's a God Slayer."

Instantly Lucy felt her mind go into flashbacks of another who called themselves a God Slayer. While she had never seen the guy, she knew that Natsu had barely beaten him. Flames that even Natsu couldn't eat. Though, she thought with a frown, he had black flames now…

"Oh."

"Ya, a Lightning God Slayer."

"So he can eat your lightning?" Liz let out a vicious laugh and a dark smile.

"He thinks he can. I use Thunder Magic, remember? If I used normal lightning then ya, of course he could, but unless he really wants to get hurt he shouldn't try to get my Thunder Magic in his stomach. I just want to prove that he isn't as powerful as he thinks he is."

As Lucy went to respond a loud bang filled the arena. Looking over to the fight, she heard the announcers giving their two jewels on what had just happened. Either way, Ren was now standing over a bound Millianna, trapped in her own tubes. Lucy took another deep breath as she stood.

"Well guys, this is it. Wish me luck!" The rest of the team turned to her.

"Good luck Lucy!" Gray and Hisui said nearly in unison.

"Knock em dead!" Liz yelled, only to be hit over the head by Erza as she walked by. The knight took hold of Lucy's shoulders and smiled.

"You don't need luck Lucy. You're a Fairy Tail Mage. Go show those people exactly what that means, alright? We all stand behind you." The others nodded in agreement. Lucy felt her eyes water slightly and nodded.

"I will!"

With that she left the balcony, quickly making her way to the arena's entrance. For a moment she stood there, gathering her wits.

 _Alright. This is it Lucy, your chance to show that Sting exactly what it means to be a Fairy Tail wizard!_

She growled in frustration as she thought of Sting. She didn't know why it bugged her so much that he despised Fairy Tail, but she knew that whatever the reason she couldn't let an insult to her guild, her _family_ pass without retribution.

"NOW, FOR OUR THIRD MATCH OF THE DAY, LET'S HEAR A BIG CHEER FOR OUR TWO MAGES, KABO! FROM THE GUILD YOU LOVE, HERE COMES ORGA NANAGEAR, SABERTOOTH'S LIGHTNING GOD SLAYER!"

Lucy took a deep breath as she readied herself, looking down at her keychain. This was it, her time to shine. Her, and her spirits. 10 golden keys and 5 silver keys rested on that keychain, all of whom she carried with her as friends and comrades. Her gaze shifted slightly as the cheering for Orga diminished, and she held up the two other keys she had recently acquired. Lucian had given them to her, and she only had a few hours to practice. She was nowhere near a master of these keys, but she knew that with them and her spirits, she was ready.

"AND AGAINST THE GOD SLAYER WE HAVE AN ANGEL FROM THE HEAVENS, A CELESTIAL SPIRIT MAGE FROM FAIRY TAIL! LET'S GIVE ALL OUR LOVE TO THE ONE AND ONLY LUCY HEARTFILIA FROM FAIRY TAIL A!"

With that Lucy walked towards the light at the end of the tunnel. As she did, the two platinum keys she had been holding fell and clinked against the rest of her keys.

 _Watch out Sabertooth, because here I come_.

••••••••••••••••••••••

 **And there we go, Chapter 11! Next up we get to see just what Lucy has planned to deal with this powerful opponent! Will she be victorious? What do these new keys contain? To find out this and more, be sure to check back for the next chapter! Hope to see you all soon. As always, feel free to leave a review! Glitch out!**


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